𓆩✧𓆪RIM𓆩✧𓆪 @black-suns-rim - Tumblr Blog

Aug 5

The Young Prince

This is part 6 for the Ethereal Star AU story. You can find the previous parts here: part 1 - The Prophecy // Part 2 - The child // Part 3 - The trials (part 1) // Part 4 - The trials (part 2) // Part 5 - The Anointment Content Warning: implications of self harm, swearing word count: 11,969 audiobook - part 6

𓆩✧𓆪 Entry 1

It’s been about over a year ever since I was anointed prince. A lot has happened. Lamed told me I should start documenting things like my progress on lessons, personal goals, or anything I think is important. I don’t really see why I should, but she said it would be good for the archives one day. Who knows, maybe it will be. Getting that out of the way, I will be turning 13 soon. Officially a teenager. I told Lamed I don’t want to do anything special, I just want to have a day to see my friends since I rarely get to. I’m always studying, or busy with lessons, or my princely duties. It’s a lot, but I’ve learned a lot. The last time I saw them, they all said I grew a lot, and I believe I did. They all looked shorter.

𓆩✧𓆪 End of entry

Alef closed his new leatherbound journal and sighed as he looked out over Golden City. He finally had some time to write in this journal while taking a break from Tsadi’s lesson. Three times out of the week, he would be taken to Tsadi for physical discipline. He would always be really sore afterwards, even end up with some bruises on him the next day sometimes. Alef leaned his arms against the railing of the balcony and watched the people below. Tsadi walked over to Alef with a towel slung around his neck. He leaned against the railing as well.

“Are you ready to continue?” Tsadi said as he crossed his arms.

“Can we be done for today? I’m not really feeling it.” Alef kept his eyes to the view.

“Young prince, there’s going to be a lot of things in life that you won’t be ‘feeling it,’ and you’ll just have to push through to get done.” Tsadi lectured.

Alef let out a long sigh, “I really don’t want to though. I’m just tired.”

Tsadi thought for a bit before coming up with a compromise, “How about I give you one more lesson and we can go do something else? Something of your choice.”

Alef looked up at him, “Anything I want to do?”

“Sure, anything.”

Alef didn’t need long to think about it, “Alright, one more lesson.”

Tsadi nodded and walked inside. He threw the towel he had into a stone bin and adjusted the compression tape he had around his forearms. Alef walked over to a small canal that was carved from the wall. It had freely flowing and clean water that ran through it. He took off his mask to splash the cold water on his face to help wake him up a bit. The summer heat was killing him. Once he was freshened up a bit, he put his mask back on and went over to Tsadi.

“Take this.” Tsadi tossed Alef a staff and he caught it. He noticed Tsadi had a larger staff in his left hand, “We will spar. No meditation, no dummies, no correction or commentary from me.”

“But you’re way bigger than me and-” Alef was cut off.

“Doesn’t matter. If it ever comes to it, you will have to defend yourself against opponents who are more powerful than you. You can’t always rely on guards to protect you. It’s one of the main reasons I have been teaching you.”

Alef understood.

“Whenever you are ready, young prince.” Tsadi moved the staff to his right hand.

Alef stood in a defensive position, “Ready.”

Without hesitation, Tsadi lunged towards Alef. Alef swiftly moved out of his way and struck the back of his legs with his staff. For a kid, Tsadi had to admit he had fierce strength. This small strike didn’t do much to him though. The sparing went on for about an hour before Alef fell to the ground from exhaustion. He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. He already knew he was going to be bruised up by tomorrow. Tsadi was also out of breath and sweating heavily. He grabbed a large bowl and filled it with water. Walking over to Alef, he dumped it on his head. Alef let out a yelp from the cold water hitting his hot skin. He looked up at Tsadi in shock.

“I don’t want you to pass out from the heat.” He then handed Alef a large cup that had water in it. Alef was quick to grab it and start drinking.

“You did good. Not bad for your first time. Once you’re rested, we can go do what you want.” Tsadi went over to the freely flowing water and held his face in it for a few seconds.

Alef laid on the floor with all his limbs spread out. He felt the heat rise up and off from his body. What did he even feel in the mood for doing now that he has some time to think about it? Too tired to go out and do something actually fun. His stomach growled. There, that was it. They could go out for something to eat.

“Tsadi?” Alef didn’t bother lifting his head to look at him.

“Yes?” He was taking the compression tape off of his arms and legs.

“Can we go somewhere to eat? It’s been a while since I’ve gone out to eat and I’m hungry.”

“Sure. Any place you have in mind?”

Alef thought. What was he in the mood to eat? There are so many places that sound good to him for him to eat at, but he just couldn’t decide.

“Could you pick for me? I don’t care where we go, I’m just really hungry.” Alef said after a few minutes of thinking.

“If that’s what you want. I am pretty hungry as well, and I do have a place in mind.” Tsadi began to clean up the room. It wasn’t too dirty but he liked to have things tidy.

Alef sat up once he felt like he had cooled off enough, “What place?”

“I’ll keep it a surprise.” Tsadi said with a playful tone.

Once the room was cleaned, both Tsadi and Alef changed into casual clothing that wasn’t drenched in sweat. Since he wasn’t doing any of his princely duties, Alef didn’t have to wear his special robes or mask. Anytime he did, people would always crowd him in the streets. It was annoying and overwhelming. But many didn’t realize who he was when he wore his casual clothing, which was a relief, though many did recognize who Tsadi was. I mean, he is kinda hard to not recognize due to his height and his reputation. Alef walked to the right side of Tsadi as they left the building. Tsadi had been training him in one of the rooms that were meant for training the new recruits of Golden City’s enforcement work force. Many of the enforcers were well acquainted with the prince.

Tsadi made his way to the markets and Alef was a little confused on why they were going here, but he didn’t question him. A few confusing turns later, Tsadi entered a small food court Alef’s never seen in this market before. Alef took in the sight, seeing it all had a similar theme. From what he could tell, the culture belonged to one of the nomadic groups that lived in the Golden Dunes. That was probably why he’s never seen this food court before. It wasn’t here the last time he had been in the markets.

Tsadi sat down at one of the floor tables that were in a shaded area of the court. Alef sat across from him. The seat mats had some cushion to them and Alef had to adjust it a bit. A short and modestly dressed waiter came to them and handed them a stone tablet that had all the meals available in the court. Tsadi handed Alef the stone menu, “Pick whatever you want. I already know what I’m going to get.”

“Alright.” Alef looked through the menu but more than half of the dish names he wasn’t able to recognize. He had to ask Tsadi what they were. When he found something he thought sounded good, he put the stone tablet in the center of the table. The waiter came back a few minutes later and took their orders. While they waited on their food, Alef decided he would write some more in his journal.

𓆩✧𓆪 Entry 2

Now that I remember some more things I wanted to write down and have the time, I will do so. There have been a few important things that have happened ever since I became prince. The Light Prophet Ayin was the first realm leader to be interested in becoming a part of the new kingdom. He said I could count on him for advanced magic lessons. During the last week of the month ever since I was anointed, I’ve been going to the Starport light temple for lessons from him. Teth also gives me lessons. She was the second realm leader to have interest in the new kingdom. Teth teaches me about how to work with stone, metal, wood and a bunch of other things. She’s mainly been teaching me about the tools and how to use them properly. But she really doesn’t like it when I touch her things unless she hands them to me to use. Both the Prophet Ayin and Teth say they’ll officially join my kingdom when I reach my 16th birthday.

Tsadi has been teaching me and training me about self defense. Most of the stuff he teaches me, it always makes me so tired. He says if I’m not tired, sore, or hungry by the end of the lessons, then we didn’t do enough. He also says once I’ve mastered everything he has planned for me, then he’ll join the new kingdom. He says I have to earn his respect and wants to make sure that if I were ever in trouble, I wouldn’t need any guards, or him, to protect me if they weren’t there.

Another thing, when I had moved into the vault after the anointment, I found out that the Oracle was a realm leader. I never knew she was. Apparently the Holy Mountains where the storm is, that is her realm she oversees. All the vault workers are from that realm. I honestly didn’t know people lived there. I thought it had always been this place where only sick people went to get healed, or where the dying go to continue the Light Cycle. Lamed said this realm would be my home as prince, but I’d also have to earn her respect. She has been teaching me all different kinds of history, mostly through the memory lanterns that are in the vault. I know the place is called The Library of Knowledge and Wisdom, but I like calling it the vault. It's a popular nickname for it after all. And once I learn a little bit of all history in the vault, then Lamed will also join the new kingdom.

I haven’t thought of a solid name for the new kingdom yet, but I have been thinking about calling it “Eden.”

𓆩✧𓆪 End of entry

As Alef finished up that sentence, the food was brought to the table. He closed his journal and waited for Tsadi to grab his plate so he could take his. Alef took off his mask and the smell of the food hit his nose instantly. His stomach growled and he immediately began to eat. Tsadi had a soft smile on his face as he watched the young prince eat. He knew he’d like the food here. Once they were done eating, Tsadi then took Alef to get a treat. The dried honey covered nuts had become one of his favorite desserts from the market, and Alef would get it every time he went with Tsadi. The sun was starting to set, so both of them left the market and found a quiet place outside of the city to hang out for a while. They had found a large boulder and chose that to be the spot they would watch the sun set.

“Tsadi?” Alef broke the silence.

“Yes?”

“Do you have a spouse?” Alef was genuinely curious.

This question caught him a bit off guard, “No, I do not.”

“What about a significant other?”

“Not currently. Why do you ask, young prince?” Tsadi looked at him.

“I was just wondering…” Alef wanted to say something and had been wanting to say it for a while to Tsadi, but every time, he felt like he would lose his voice.

“I…” Alef looked up at him just to meet his eyes. He looked away, “I never knew my father. My mom never talked about him when I asked. She would always deflect the question…” he let out a sigh. Why couldn’t he just say what he wanted to say? Tsadi listened to Alef patiently. He was starting to get ideas on what Alef was hinting at or trying to put into words. Maybe he could try again another time. They sat in silence until the sun was no longer visible from the horizon.

“I think it’s time we get you back to the Oracle.” Tsadi got off the boulder and turned his attention to the young prince, just to find out he had fallen asleep without him realizing. Tsadi had a soft smile under his mask, “Too tired. Wore him out good.” He spoke to himself as he gently picked up Alef.

𓆩✧𓆪

Alef was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His muscles ached and he was sore all over. He didn’t want to move due to his soreness and because he was comfortable in bed. He knew if he tried to go back to sleep, someone would probably wake him since it was morning. He turned his head to place his gaze at his journal which was on one of his shelves. He might as well write in it while he was up and had the time to himself.

𓆩✧𓆪 Entry 3

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I refused to do what everyone expects of me. Would I be punished at all? Does being prince mean I can’t be punished? Sometimes I really don’t want to do my lessons, but I do them anyway. Would I get in trouble for being in different places where no one told me to be?

𓆩✧𓆪 End of entry

Alef thought. He’s never pushed any limits before, he's always followed the rules put in place for him. What if he were to go somewhere this morning? Where would he go? He’s been wanting to observe the vault workers ever since he started living in the vault, but the Oracle would always keep him busy in the vault with studies or lessons. He wanted to see how memories were stored in the lanterns. Alef got up from his bed and checked his calendar. The Oracle was teaching him today anyway, so why not leave a note for her telling where he would be?

He got dressed in his royal attire and grabbed a small bag so he could carry a few things with him. Alef learned early on that when he wears his proper clothes, people are more likely to do what he says without question compared to when he’s in his casual clothing. He left a simple note on his dresser and left his room.

The building Alef has been calling home was on top of the mountain that overlooked the Golden Dune. It was more like a temple that was remodeled for a living space. He was moved into the repurposed temple just a year ago. The whole building was basically his, but he preferred to hide out in his simple room when he could. He made his way out of the temple and towards the elevator that led inside of the mountain and into the vault. Once he was inside, he got off the elevator at one of the lower floors. He wandered around for a bit before spotting someone he recognized. Perfect.

“Hadi!” Alef walked up to him and Hadi stopped what he was doing.

“Oh, good morning Prince Alef! I wasn’t expecting to see you.” He had a bit of surprise in his tone, “What brings you here?”

“I want to see how you put the memories in the lanterns. I’ve been wondering how you do that for a long time now.” Alef said directly.

Hadi nodded, “I see,” He paused and looked around for a few seconds, “And you’re here by yourself, young prince?”

“Yeah.” For some reason, that question made him a little nervous, “I really want to know, plus I don’t have to be anywhere just yet… But if the Oracle does come looking for me, I left a note that I would be in here.”

“My sister will definitely be surprised to see you with me.” Hadi mumbled to himself.

“Well, if the prince wants to know, I shall show. Come with me.” Hadi left the task he was doing and began to head down a long hallway. Alef followed him, right at his side.

“Our lanterns are manufactured here by skilled craftsmen in the Golden City rather than them being manufactured in Southern Pulsar like most darkstone products are,” Hadi started lecturing as he walked, “It makes transportation of the lanterns faster and safer, though we do have to have a lot of the materials imported from other realms. One of my jobs is to make sure we have enough lanterns in stock for use.”

Hadi entered a large storage room full of unused lanterns. He grabbed one of them from a shelf and marked something down on a podium that held a stone tablet. He then gestured for Alef to follow him into a different room. In this room, it had a shelf with different types of headdresses. Hadi took off the one he was wearing and grabbed a headdress that had a darkstone crystal in the center of it. This one was very simple and almost looked like a tiara.

“In order to put a memory into the lantern, you must have a memory extractor. This is the device I have on my head. You cannot use this device on yourself, but you can use it on others.” With the memory lantern in his left hand, Hadi approached Alef, “May I?” Alef nodded.

Hadi placed his right hand on Alef’s head and focused his energy to the crystal. The room fell dark to Alef and he slightly panicked, but Hadi reassured him, “Don’t worry Prince Alef, this is entirely normal.” Hadi removed his hand from Alef’s head. Alef started to see these small stars fall down from the darkness. These stars all felt so familiar to him. Hadi watched carefully, “Focus on any one of these. All of them are your memories.”

Alef was in total awe. He felt one star in particular pulling him, begging for his attention. He couldn’t help but focus on it. Before he knew it, the star expanded and he saw his mother. She was sitting and weaving. Then he saw himself, no older than five years old, before he had his first mask. His younger self ran to her and hugged her side. She stopped her weaving to hug him back. She then put him on her lap and continued to weave. Alef walked up to the memory and reached out his hand to touch it, but it disappeared. He then felt another memory nagging at him. He focused on it. This one was a less pleasant memory. His mother was coughing. The first sign of when she started to get sick. One memory led to another and the next thing he knew, he was watching his younger self mourn the loss of his mother, just outside of the small village of Starport. Tears started to form in his eyes when the memory faded and the room became light once more. Hadi felt bad for him.

“Can I keep that lantern?” Alef asked quietly.

“Of course.” Hadi said in a gentle tone and handed Alef the lantern. He placed it in his bag. Alef turned his back to Hadi as he wiped away the tears from under his mask.

“Can you explain how it gets stored?” Alef wanted to move on. Hadi nodded.

“These particular crystals in the lanterns are very sensitive to light. They will activate once the memory extractor is triggered. This is also why these lanterns are stored in dark or dimly lit rooms.” Hadi took off the headdress and put his own back on. He led Alef out of the room.

“These lanterns can hold many memories inside of them, but they usually stop taking in memories when the person who has experienced them wants to stop if they realize it or not.” Hadi explained a little more about the lanterns for a while before Lamed found them.

“Curious this morning, now were we?” She said as she approached them. Alef let out a nervous laugh. He hoped she wasn’t going to be mad at him.

“Curious and learned.” Hadi gave a polite bow to his sister, “Oh gracious and all-knowing Oracle.” He teased her.

She rolled her eyes, “The young prince needs his breakfast and to start on his lessons for the day.” She looked at Alef. He walked over to her side and she began to leave with him right by her side.

𓆩✧𓆪

Days passed by and before Alef knew it, his birthday arrived. He was sitting in the morning sunlight, eating breakfast with Lamed. From what he could tell, he wouldn't be able to see his friends today which disappointed him. But he did hear that Daleth would be coming later that night. He overheard Lamed talking to her brother about it. It was supposed to be a surprise. He was supposed to be spending the night in Southern Pulsar, so he didn’t know if Daleth would actually be there.

“I've noticed you've been writing in that journal I gave you.” Lamed interrupted Alef’s thinking. It took him a couple of seconds to respond.

“Yeah. I kinda like writing in it.”

Lamed nodded, “That's good. Once it's filled, a copy should be made of it for records.”

“Why? I don't want other people reading it.”

“Don't worry Prince Alef,” Lamed reassured, “It's for your own personal archive. Ever since you became prince, I've been carefully documenting your progress. But as you grow, I want you to document your own progress. No one will read what you write, not even me. We have the technology to copy paper text to stone without needing to copy it by hand.”

Alef poked around at his food, “Okay… I'm not really hungry this morning. Can I go get ready for training?”

Lamed nodded. Alef got up from his seat and made his way to his room. He just wanted to get his training with Tsadi done and over with today. He assumed Daleth would be surprising him there since he always stayed the night after having lessons with Teth. It was the only thing that made sense. Once Alef had his bag packed, Lamed sent him off with a scholar to head to Golden City.

The scholar only came to make sure he made it safely to Tsadi. They rode on a small boat for most of the way, but walked once they got to the inner city. When Alef arrived at Tsadi’s building, the scholar parted ways with him.

“Young prince!” Somulox greeted as he walked in, “Heard it is your birthday today.”

“Yep, I'm 13 now.” Alef headed over to him.

Somulox grabbed something from his pocket and handed it to Alef. It was a small stone box that had some weight to it. He looked at it for a few seconds before looking up at him, “What's this?”

“A present. It's a little something I crafted in my spare time.” He had a smile on his face, Alef could tell even though he was wearing a mask. His voice definitely carried a smile.

He opened the box, “Whoa…” Alef pulled out a small dagger that was in a black leather holster. He unsheathed it and his eyes widened. The dagger's metal was black but it had engravings on it that were silver. The handle of the dagger was wrapped in black leather and the handle itself was made from blue polished wood.

“You made this?” Alef continued to examine it. He was in total awe of the craftsmanship and how cool it looked.

“Yeah. I make knives and daggers as a hobby when I'm not on duty.”

“This is the coolest present I've ever gotten!” Alef put the small dagger back into the leather holster. He placed it into his bag and he hugged Somulox, “Thank you so much!”

He became slightly flustered, “Oh, well, you're- uh, welcome.”

Alef let go, “I'll see you later. I gotta get to training now.” He waved as he began to run towards the stairs.

He waved back and uttered to himself, “Heh, cute kid.”

On his way up to the training floor, he was stopped by one of the other guards, “Wait, Prince Alef-”

“Yeah?” He turned to look at them.

“Don't tell Tsadi, here.” They handed him a small bag of baked goods, “Happy birthday.”

He peeked in the bag, “Thanks!” He stuffed them with his other things and continued up the stairs. Once he got to the training room, he placed his bag near the door and started talking when he spotted Tsadi.

“You're not gonna believe what Somulox gave me on my way up. He handed me a dagger he made, it's so cool. All black with blue wood for the handle. Oh! And it has some really cool engravings on the blade too!” He noticed Tsadi was on the verge of laughing.

“Why are you-” before he could finish, Alef was tackled to the ground. “Hey!” He growled as he struggled to get free. He managed to pin them down and then suddenly realized who it was.

“Olali?!”

“Who else?” He pushed Alef off and got up. He had a smug atitude. Alef quickly got up and hugged him tightly.

“Okay, get off.” Olali huffed.

“Right, sorry.” Alef let go. He forgot Olali doesn't like hugs. He noticed he was in the same training outfit he was in. He looked over to Tsadi.

“Wait, is he going to be training with me today?!”

Tsadi nodded, “Happy birthday, young prince.” Alef quickly ran up to Tsadi and gave him a hug, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!”

Tsadi let out a laugh, “You're welcome.” He hugged him back, “You two will be testing each other's skills today as sparring partners. I will sit out and watch, but you will not have any guidance or commentary from me until the end.”

Alef was very excited and happy, he wasn't expecting this at all. He took off his cloak and tossed it near his bag.

“You better be good, or I'm gonna kick your ass, no mercy.” Olali punched his fist into his palm.

“Language!” Tsadi scolded as he sat on one of the benches.

“Tch, whatever.” Olali walked over to one of the racks on the wall and grabbed a staff, “Shin has been teaching me how to use these lately. I can’t wait to kick your…” He looked at Tsadi who was giving him a stern stare, “Butt.”

“Shin?” Alef grabbed a staff as well.

“Right uh, the fire prophet. That's his name.” Olali spun the staff around.

“Oh. Do you know all their names?”

“Yeah. I live with them, dumbass, it would be stupid if I didn't know their names at this point.” Olali could feel Tsadi staring at him, but he didn't care.

“Make sure to do your warm-ups.” Tsadi reminded, “After that, you two are free to spar however you wish.”

“Alright.” Alef placed his staff off to the side and did his usual warm-ups. He noticed Olali’s warm-ups were very different from his. Once they both were done, they picked their staffs up.

Olali spun his staff around a couple of times, almost as if he was showing off, then he stood in an aggressive stance. Alef responded by standing in a defensive way. Olali ran at Alef and swung his staff with such force that it made the wind whistle. Alef quickly dodged by ducking and rolling. Olali kept being the aggressor while Alef either dodged or blocked his attacks.

Olali faked a move and switched it up at the last second. This caught Alef off guard and Olali ended up hitting him hard in the side. He grunted and held his side, but that didn't stop Olali from attacking.

“Wait, let me catch my breath!” Alef blocked an attack from him.

“When you're being attacked, your enemy won't let you catch your breath!” Olali tried to fake a move again, but Alef caught on this time and blocked.

Tsadi watched the both of them carefully, taking mental notes. He thought Olali was too aggressive, but it was a good change of pace for Alef. If Olali was going to get too aggressive though, he would have to intervene.

Olali wanted Alef to attack instead of just dodge and block, so he tried to get him angry. He kept faking moves and hitting Alef on top of insulting him.

“It's like you're not even trying to dodge. I think you like getting hit!”

Alef was starting to get frustrated and tender from all the spots Olali had been hitting him. He glanced at Tsadi for guidance but Tsadi had his arms crossed with a stone-cold look. He didn't want to hurt Olali if he did attack back. Suddenly, Olali knocked down Alef pretty hard, causing him to scrape his elbows on the tough floor mat.

“Tch, come on Alef! I thought you'd be better since you're being trained under Golden City’s best warrior.” Olali threw another insult. He could tell this really made him angry.

Tsadi was ready to intervene when Olali swung his staff to hit Alef while he was down, but Alef reacted quickly. He blocked Olali’s hit but something wasn't right. A purple aura was starting to come out of Alef's core. He pushed Olali back with his staff, but he did so with a powerful force that sent Olali flying. He managed to land on his feet like a cat. Olali had a big smug grin on his face. His insults worked - they provoked Alef.

Tsadi’s eyes widened. He was shocked to see Alef using psychic magic. To his knowledge, Alef only knew how to use light magic.

Alef ran at Olali, and the purple aura became stronger and more vibrant. Olali didn't wait to brace himself, instead, he ran towards Alef. The two of them clashed and began to spar intensely. Olali underestimated how strong Alef was since now he knew he had been holding back this whole time.

Tsadi watched, unsure if he should stop them or let them continue due to Alef using psychic magic. As he watched, he realized that Alef wasn't even aware of what he was doing. This was new - this was progress, a breakthrough. After what seemed like hours, both Olali and Alef started to get tired, so they stopped to take a break. By now, the purple aura Alef had was gone. He laid on the floor as he tried to catch his breath. Olali dunked his face into the flowing water that was along one of the walls’ canals. He then sat right next to Alef.

“I knew you could do better. You were just being too much of a coward to hit me back.”

“I didn't want to hurt you.” Alef sat up and looked at him.

“Don't be such a pussy. You're not gonna hurt me. Shin says hesitation will get you hurt or killed when in battle. If you have an open shot, you should always take it.” Olali avoided Alef's gaze.

Tsadi interrupted, “You need to have your mouth cleansed, young ember. Your foul language is damning your soul.” He got up from his seat and walked over to his personal bag to take something out of it.

Olali rolled his eyes and groaned, “Whatever. The prophets keep saying that too.”

“Because it's true. Have they not taught you-”

Olali cut Tsadi off, “They have. I don't care. Besides, your faces are always so priceless.”

Tsadi wanted badly to physically discipline this kid, but he remembered when the prophets dropped him off, they mentioned physical discipline doesn't work for Olali. Tsadi let out a frustrated long sigh and Alef tensed up a little. He found it disrespectful how Olali talked to Tsadi.

“So, how long will you be here?” Alef asked Olali, wanting to make the mood less tense.

“A week. The prophets are in the city, buying supplies and relaxing or whatever. They dropped me off here so I could hang with you.”

Alef nodded, “What about Kizuna and Veluboga?”

“I don't know. They aren't my friends. Veluboga is alright though, I tolerate her more than Kizuna.”

“Oh, right.” Alef remembered Olali only really ever liked to hang out with him. He was hoping that would've changed by now, but guess not.

While the both of them chatted, Tsadi was writing down everything he observed from the sparring match the two had. He had been documenting Alef’s progress by the request of Lamed. This took him a while since there was a lot to write about this time. Once he was done, he placed his leatherbound book back into his personal bag and asked for both Alef and Olali to come over to him. He told each of them what they needed to work on and then what they did well. He then had them spar again.

By noon, Alef and Olali were really hungry and tired out. Tsadi thought it was a good time to stop for the day and took them out to eat after they changed out of their training clothes. Alef noticed how Olali kept the compression tape on his forearms and legs. He thought that was a little strange. Tsadi took them to the market where all the street vendors were since he knew Alef loved their street food. While waiting for their food to be prepared, Alef and Olali were playfighting in front of the stall. Alef was never able to playfight with Kizuna or Veluboga since they didn't like it.

The vendor handed Tsadi a large platter with a bunch of different cooked meats and breads, fresh fruits and veggies along with different kinds of seasoned dips. Tsadi whistled loudly to get their attention as he began to walk to a spot for them to eat. He sat down under a shaded area with a floor table. Alef and Olali sat near him and they immediately grabbed the food from the platter.

Tsadi let Alef and Olali eat first before taking what he wanted. They ate in silence for the first couple of minutes since their mouths were too full of food to talk properly. When Alef and Olali had their share, Tsadi took what was left for himself.

“Do you think Olali could come with me when I leave for lessons with Teth?” Alef looked over to Tsadi.

“You'd have to ask the Prophets.” Tsadi dipped a chunk of meat into one of the sauces.

“They let me go anywhere as long as I let them know where I'm going and when I'll come back.” Olali grabbed a fruit slice from the platter and fiddled with it.

“I still wanna make sure it's okay since I'd have to go all the way to Southern Pulsar for her lessons.” Alef rested his arms on the table.

Olali looked past Alef for a couple of seconds, “You can ask right now, they're over there. CHET!” Olali shouted and waved his arms. Alef looked behind himself and saw a tall figure dressed in beige robes waving back and walking towards them. When he got over to their table, he sat near Olali.

“A lunch break I see. How did training go, young embers?” The Overseer crossed his legs.

“I kicked Alef's ass for the first half, but by the second half, he started to get better.” Olali had a smug tone. The Overseer nudged him and made a hand motion that seemed scolding. Olali understood this hand motion and let out a sigh. Alef knew it was signing, but he wasn't familiar with what any of it meant.

“Training went well though?” The Overseer looked at Tsadi, addressing the question to him. Tsadi nodded.

“Can Olali come with me when I leave the city for lessons in Southern Pulsar?” Alef asked the Overseer.

“Sure he can. When are you expected to come back?”

“Around noon tomorrow.”

The Overseer nodded, “Sounds good. Where will you be when you return?”

“The city’s docs on the southwest side.”

The Overseer nodded again and stood up, “Have fun you two. Olali, behave yourself.”

“I will.” Olali almost sounded a little irritated.

The Overseer left and kept in mind the information. Since Alef and Olali were done eating, and Tsadi was finishing up, he packed the leftover food up.

He took both of them and got them ready for the trip to Southern Pulsar. Tsadi handed the leftover food to Alef for the trip and waited as the ferryman prepared the boat. Once everything was ready, he assigned a guard to protect the two, and the ferryman, on the trip. Alef and Olali got seated as the boat lifted off the dock. Alef waved to Tsadi and he waved back.

“So, how long are we going to be stuck on this chunk of rock?” Olali was leaning on the stone seating with his arms crossed.

“For a few hours. My lessons with Teth usually start in the afternoon till the evening and then into the following morning after some good rest.”

“Ugh, it's going to be boring on the way there… unless we spar again.” Olali hinted.

“Eh… I don't feel like it right now. I kinda want to relax for a bit. I don't ever get much time to relax.” Alef just remembered something, “Oh! I wanted to show you this cool thing I was given this morning!”

Alef rummaged around in his bag and pulled out the small dagger he was gifted. He took it out of the leather casing and handed it to Olali. Olali's eyes widened, “Whoa!” He quickly snatched it and studied it.

“Dude, this is so cool! And sharp, holy shit. I've been asking the prophets if I could have a dagger for the past couple of months, but they keep saying I'm not ready yet. You're so lucky.” He ran his fingers along the details of the blade.

“You should totally let me have it.”

Alef let out a laugh and grabbed the dagger from him, “You know the prophets would kill you if they found it.”

“Uughh, yeah.” Olali huffed. He then got an idea, “Hey, what if you let me borrow it while I’m with you?”

Alef was hesitant, “what would you even use it for?”

“Carving, throwing it at trees, who knows, maybe even fighting off raiders since you can’t fight for shit.” Olali said in a smug tone.

Alef rolled his eyes, “I think it’s best if I keep it to myself.”

Olali groaned, “Aw come on!”

The guard was a bit amused by the two of them and couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle. As they traveled, Alef and Olali found ways to entertain themselves. The trip itself was smooth sailing with no problems. Once the boat reached Teth’s temple, Alef and Olali hopped off the boat and entered the temple with the guard right behind them. One of the temple workers spotted them and quickly informed Teth that the prince had arrived. She stopped working on her current project so she could collect her thoughts on where she and Alef had left off last.

She wasn’t expecting Olali to be with Alef. She crossed her arms, “Who is this?” She asked in almost an accusatory tone.

“My friend, Olali. He came to visit me.” Alef just realized it was probably rude not to give her a heads up beforehand, but the decision for him to come with was at the last minute, after all.

Teth turned her attention to Olali, “Do you have any experience in a forge or around tools?”

Olali shrugged, “I can just watch.”

Teth sighed, “DO NOT touch anything. I don’t want to have to take care of any injuries.” She then turned her attention back to Alef, “Get your gear on and grab your tools.”

“Yes ma’am.” Alef placed his bag right next to the door of the forge and went over to a shelf. Olali followed and watched.

Within 30 minutes of Alef getting his lesson, Olali got bored watching and left the forge. The guard was outside of the room, standing in the corner. Olali stared at the guard for a while and the guard stared back.

“Have you killed anyone before?” Olali asked.

“Nope.” They said a little too quickly.

“Boring.” Olali then walked off to explore the rest of the temple. He took note how much darkstone there was, tools and strange inventions. He came to one room that had a bright blue glow coming from it. Curiously, he entered the room and was amazed by what he saw - unrefined dark crystals. He looked around to see if there was anyone nearby before grabbing a small piece to study it. He had no clue what it was, though it seemed familiar to him. He pocketed a few small pieces before leaving the room.

This place sure was pretty empty besides all the junk. It had a lack of people in it, which kinda bothered Olali. He thought all temples had a lot of people in them at all times. Even the small temple back in starport village had many people coming in and out of it. If there was a lack of people, then maybe there was also a lack of supervision. Perhaps he could make something with some of the stuff in the temple. He had the perfect idea of what he could make. Once he was done, he hid his new creation in his pocket and walked back to the forge to see if Alef was still in the middle of his lesson. He was. Olali climbed up on one of the shelves and perched to get a better view of his friend at work.

By the time Alef was done with his lesson, he was completely exhausted and hungry. He took off his gear and placed his tools away, but he was confused when he couldn’t find Olali. Teth hadn’t been keeping track of him either since she had all of her attention on Alef. They asked the guard if they had seen him, but they said they had left for a while but returned to the room. It took Teth and Alef a while before Teth spotted Olali sleeping on top of the shelving. She sighed in relief and used her telekinesis to get him down. He woke up as she moved him down from the shelves.

“Why were you even up there?” Alef was confused.

Olali stretched, “I was bored.”

That didn’t really answer his question, but he didn’t ask any more questions. Teth looked out the windows of the forge and saw the sun had already gone down. She then remembered where she needed to get Alef to and slightly panicked. Teth took off all her gear in a rush and put on her thick cloak, “Come along you two, now.” She had a commanding tone.

Alef grabbed his bag and Olali followed behind. The guard who had been waiting outside of the room trailed behind the three when he saw them leave.

“Where are we going in such a rush?” Alef almost had to jog to keep up with her.

“Don’t ask, just follow.” She led them to the boat they had arrived on and whispered something into the ferryman’s ear. They nodded. Once all of them were on the boat, it was quick to lift off and head away from the temple, not on the usual route where Alef would go after lessons. It only took them a few minutes before arriving at a small house built up in one of the trees. Teth jumped off the boat, “Come, quickly.” She opened the door to the house and waited for Alef and Olali to enter first.

When Alef entered, he could smell a strong aroma. It smelt like a familiar meal he’s had many times before. Teth walked to a different room before he could ask, “Wait-”

He tried to follow her but he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Where are you going in such a rush, my ember?” A gentle voice asked.

Alef immediately turned his head to the direction of the voice and his eyes widened. Without saying anything, he ran up to Daleth and hugged him tightly. Daleth had a plate in his hand and almost lost balance, “Whoa, careful there.” He let out a soft laugh. He wrapped his free arm around Alef.

“I’ve missed you!” Alef hugged him tighter.

“I’ve missed you too.” Daleth had a big smile under his mask, “Are you hungry?”

Alef looked up at him, “Very!”

“Help me dish out the food. I made lots, and your favorites.” He handed the plate he had in his hand to Alef. Olali walked in the room when he heard Alef talking to someone. When he saw Daleth, he froze. Daleth squinted when he spotted Olali, “Oh, what a surprise. Where did you come from?”

Olali shrugged and looked away from him but Alef answered for Olali, “Tsadi surprised me this morning by having Olali spar with me today. I brought him with me with the permission of the Overseer.”

“How sweet. You’re welcome to join us, Olali. There’s more than enough for you to have some as well.” Daleth offered.

Teth entered the room. She had different clothes on and it looked like she had quickly cleaned herself, “I’m sorry I brought him late, we had got caught up in the lesson tonight.” She passed bye and grabbed a plate, helping herself to the food Daleth had prepared.

“That’s alright. I just got done. It worked out perfectly.”

Olali was hesitant to enter the room while they served themselves food. Alef looked back at Olali, “Are you hungry at all?” He shrugged before leaving the room. He thought that was strange. Alef immediately began to talk to Daleth about his day, what he’s been doing and learning ever since he had last visited.

Olali listened in from the other room while he laid on the couch. He fidgeted with the wrapped cloth that was on his forearms. As he listened to them, Olali unwrapped the cloth on his left forearm. He stared at the scars on his arm before running his fingers on them. He rummaged in his pocket and took out the thing he had made earlier. He looked around before unwrapping it. He had made a makeshift dagger from the raw dark crystal and darkstone that had been laying around in the temple. He even sharpened the crystal to a razor sharp point, which was the reason he had it wrapped in the first place. His grip on the dagger tightened as he stared at it and his mouth started to feel dry with what he was thinking about doing with it. When Alef called his name, he panicked and quickly wrapped up the dagger, placing it back into his pocket as well as covering his left forearm by crossing his arms. He laid back on the couch.

Alef came out with a plate and handed it to Olali, “I know you like specific things, but you got to try Daleth’s sticky rice and fried fish.”

“I’m not really that hungry.” Olali mumbled, slightly irritated.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not hungry!” Olali snapped.

Alef was startled but placed the plate aside on a small table that was near the couch. “Okay.” He said quietly before leaving to go back to eating with Daleth and Teth.

“I think Olali might be in a grumpy mood.” Alef said quietly as he sat.

“I heard.” Daleth drank some juice Teth had brought out.

“He might just need some space.” Daleth suggested.

“Yeah. I just wasn’t expecting him to yell at me.” Alef took a bite of some rice.

Once they were done eating, they packed the leftover food away. At this point, Alef was on the verge of passing out and Olali had fallen asleep on Teth’s couch. Daleth grabbed the plate that had been left for Olali, noticing that only the rice had been eaten.

“I don’t think heading to an Inn at this time would be great. Seems both of them had a long day.” Teth watched as Alef sat and then laid on the floor, “I don’t mind if you guys crash here for the night.”

“Are you sure that’s alright? I don’t want to be intruding.”

“Nah, you won’t be. I’ve got a guest bedroom and extra bedding. Plus, I’d like some more of that rice and fish for breakfast tomorrow. It was pretty good.”

Daleth thanked her before putting away the plate and the untouched fish. Teth prepared the guest room and brought out extra bedding. Alef and Olali were both knocked out, so Teth carried them to the room and laid them on the bed. Daleth wanted to help, but Alef had become too big for him to carry anymore. Teth realized the bed wasn’t large enough for three people, so she offered her bed to Daleth. He refused at first, but Teth really didn’t want to see someone as old as him sleeping on a couch or hard floor. He accepted after more convincing from her. Once they were all settled, they fell asleep.

𓆩✧𓆪

As Alef was in the middle of a good dream, he was woken up by movement next to him. He rubbed his eyes and slowly turned to where he felt the movement. He was a little confused to see Olali sitting on the edge of the bed and even more confused when he heard him crying. Alef sat up steadily, still groggy from being woken up. Olali turned to look at Alef when he felt him move. Olali’s eyes were filled with tears and he wiped them away with his arm. Alef noticed how Olali’s eyes had visible pupils, unlike everyone else he knew. They emitted a soft glow which he thought was hauntingly beautiful in a way.

“What’s wrong?” Alef asked quietly.

“I’m a fucking demon, that’s what’s wrong.” Olali choked out through his tears.

“No you’re not.” Alef moved to sit right next to Olali.

“That’s what everyone calls me. Everyone in the village. They all think I’m one. I’m not like them, I’m not like Veluboga, or Kizuna, or you. I’m not even like the prophets.” Olali held onto himself as he cried. He was crying quietly, but it seemed like he desperately wanted to scream out all his emotions. “I don’t belong here…”

Alef didn’t know what to say. He wanted to comfort him, but he didn’t know how since he hated it when people touched him and Alef was still too groggy to think of anything good to say. He then had an idea. He moved and grabbed the pillows that were on the bed.

“Lay down.” Alef said gently.

Olali looked at him weird but he laid. Alef aligned the pillows on Olali from his chest down to his knees, then he laid on top of Olali.

“What the hell are you doing?” Olali sniffled.

“I’m giving you a hug through the pillows since you hate it when people touch you.” Alef yawned, “And you’re not a demon just because you’re different or if people say you are. You’re my friend, loyal and honest, that’s what you are.” Alef was on the verge of falling back asleep. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Olali stayed silent besides his sniffling. This felt oddly comforting to him. More comforting than anything he’s felt in a long while. He could feel himself calming down, not just emotionally, but his body as well. It was like all the tension was melting away. Olali eventually fell asleep along with Alef. When Olali woke up in the morning, Alef’s head was lying on a pillow that was still on his chest, and his arm was slung over his stomach. He didn’t want him to move or get up, Olali was so comfortable and he felt safe.

𓆩✧𓆪

Once everyone was awake, they ate breakfast and prepared to head their separate ways. Daleth, back to the village of Starport, Teth back to her temple for work, and Alef and Olali back to the Golden Dunes. Teth didn’t feel like continuing Alef’s lesson into the morning since he had made a lot of progress the night before. On the ride back to the city, it was mostly quiet. Alef was looking at the scenery, but Olali was deep in thought. He wanted to tell Alef the things that had been on his mind for a while now, but just thinking about it, he could feel a lump forming in his throat. He decided to just sit right next to Alef and watch the scenery with him.

Unprompted, Alef spoke, “You know, even though I met Veluboga and Kizuna first when I arrived at the village years ago, you feel more like family to me.”

“Really? Why me? I was mean to you guys when I met you.” Olali sounded a bit shocked.

“Well, I can actually play rough with you. Kiz and Vel don’t like playing rough. And I feel like I connect with you more than them. Plus, we are the same age. Vel is younger, and Kiz is older. On top of that, we have the same sense of humor. Kiz and Vel don’t find a lot of the stuff I find funny, funny.” Alef had his eyes kept on the scenery as he listed off these things.

“I… I guess that makes sense.” Olali didn’t know what to say. “I know Kizuna hates me, she always will. Veluboga though, she always wants to do stuff with me, even when you’re not around. I don’t know why. I don’t consider her a friend.”

“Vel considers you her friend. But she’s friends with everyone she meets. But I also think she likes hanging out with you more than most of her other friends.” Alef turned to look at Olali.

“Really?...” He glanced at Alef.

“Yeah. You should try being friends with her. You told me how you don’t have any friends in the village, but Veluboga wants you to be her friend.”

Olali huffed, “Okay, I guess I can try. But I don’t want anyone thinking I like her or something.”

Alef laughed, “I don’t think anyone will.” He went back to looking at the scenery. There was a silence between them for a while before Olali spoke up.

“Hey Alef?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I think something might be wrong with me.” Olali’s heart started to race and his palms became sweaty.

“Why do you say that?” He looked at him.

Olali’s hands started to shake as he looked back at him. He slowly started to unwrap the cloth that was around his forearms. Alef saw the scars that were scattered across in straight patterns. “What happened?” Alef asked with a worried tone.

Olali started to choke on his words, “I… I did this to myself…” he said very quietly, “I don’t know why… But I feel better after I do this.” Tears started to form under his mask and his voice started to shake, “I’m scared, Alef. I don’t know why I’m doing this.” He began to quickly wrap his forearms back up. Alef was at a loss of words.

“Have you told anyone else?” Alef felt very scared and worried for Olali.

“No.” His voice became so small, Alef almost didn’t hear him.

“You should tell the prophets. Maybe they can help with what's going on with you?”

“I’m too scared. What if they yell at me? What if I get in trouble?” Olali was sniffling as he tried holding back his tears.

“I can be there with you. How about that?” Alef suggested.

Olali nodded. Alef opened his arms for a hug, but he didn’t know if Olali would want one. To his shock and surprise, Olali quickly went in for the hug and held onto Alef so tightly that he thought he was going to crush him. Alef hugged him back just as tight and didn’t let go as Olali quietly wept. Alef felt so bad for him but also so scared. He’s never seen anyone do that kind of thing to themself before.

The rest of the ride back to the Golden City was silent. When they arrived, Tsadi was waiting for them at the docs. The very first thing he could tell something was wrong.

“Did something happen, young embers?” Tsadi asked in concern.

“I’ll tell you later. We need to get to the prophets right away. Where are they?” Alef sounded urgent, which alarmed Tsadi even more.

“They are camped outside of the city right now, resting. I spoke with them not too long ago. Young Prince, what is wrong?”

“I said I’ll tell you later, we just need to get to them now.” Alef almost sounded demanding. Tsadi nodded, “Alright. I’ll take you to them.”

The three of them left the docs and headed to the outside of the city limits where the prophets had been camping for the past couple of days. Alef told Tsadi to wait outside of the tent for him and he entered the tent with Olali. All of the prophets were there, and all of them were napping but for the Overseer. He was writing something on paper. He looked up from the paper and greeted them, “Young embers, how was the trip?” He asked with a lighthearted tone. He then noticed how Olali was looking at the floor and Alef seemed very worried.

His attitude suddenly changed to concern, “Young Prince, Olali, What happened?” He put down his paper and sat straight up. Alef nudged Olali towards the Overseer and he walked towards him slowly, avoiding his gaze. Then, when Olali was right in front of him, it was as if his legs gave out on him and he collapsed in the Overseer’s lap and the Overseer caught him. Olali began to uncontrollably sob. He couldn’t get himself to speak at all, but he took the cloth off from his forearms to show the Overseer. The Overseer was horrified because he knew very well what those marks on his arms were from.

“My ember…” The Overseer said with a saddened and compassionate tone as he pulled him in for a hug. The Overseer gestured for the prince to leave the tent, so he did. Alef looked up at Tsadi who was confused but also very concerned.

“Can we go to the hills so I can tell you?” Alef asked. Tsadi nodded. Once they were in a secluded spot on one of the Golden Dune’s hills, Alef told Tsadi everything. Tsadi kept his face as neutral as he could.

“Why would anyone do that to themselves, Tsadi?” Alef was still very concerned for his friend.

“There are many reasons… I’ve sadly seen this kind of behavior in the past with colleagues. It’s rare to see, but it’s always a hard thing to witness... But I’ve never seen it in someone so young before. Your friend must’ve been through something horrible to cause him to do that to himself.” Tsadi had his arms crossed.

“Like what?”

“Something traumatic maybe? It’s hard to say since I don’t know him like you do.”

“Will he be okay?” Alef was looking at the ground.

“Hard to say… It’s never predictable what kinds of things those with that mindset and behavior will do. But if he can heal, mentally, physically, and spiritually, then he’ll be alright. He’s in great hands though, the prophets will take care of him. From what you’ve told me in the past about them, they see him as their own.” Tsadi placed a hand on Alef’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Alef felt a little relieved by his answer. For a while, they both were silent.

“Tsadi?” Alef broke the silence.

“Yes?”

“Do you remember how I said I never knew my dad?” Alef held his own arm.

“I do.”

“Ever since you started giving me lessons and getting to know you… You’ve been like a dad to me.” Alef had been wanting to tell him this for a while now, and he was finally able to get the words out of his mouth.

Tsadi pulled him in for a side hug, “I know, young prince.”

“You do? How?” he was confused.

“I could tell. I just wanted you to say it yourself.” Tsadi let out a soft chuckle and Alef gave him a side hug back. He felt embarrassed.

“I think I should be getting back to the vault now.” Alef changed the subject.

“I think you’re right. Let’s get your things.”

𓆩✧𓆪

The weeks that followed were a blur to Alef. Besides all of the lessons and training, he had started planning how he wanted his own city to look like. It was a side project he planned on working on until he was able to make it real. Alef was in his room, doing research for it when Lamed knocked on the door and entered. She saw how he had a lot of research materials all around himself, papers, books, stone tablets, even some memory lanterns.

“What is this all for?” The Oracle asked curiously as she took a seat at the edge of his bed. Alef was laying on his stomach with a cushion tucked under him.

“Research, for the city I told you about.” Alef answered without looking up from the picture he was drawing. He was currently studying architecture from a book.

“Ah yes, your city atop the library. How’s it coming along?” She watched as he drew. He wasn’t an artist, but he did seem to have detailed notes written down.

“Slowly. This is going to take me forever. I didn’t know there were so many things that you need to do in order to create a city. All the stuff you recommended to me have so many big words in them, I had to find a thesaurus and a dictionary.” Alef almost sounded like he was complaining.

Lamed chuckled, “Creating a city will be a long-term project. You will need a team of experts to help you once you have all of your ideas down.”

Alef got done with his drawing and then wrote down a few more notes. He got up from his stomach and groaned. He’d been on the floor for a couple of hours now. He then realized he’d been at this for a couple of hours and he looked at Lamed.

“I was supposed to have lessons with you.” He sounded mortified.

“You were. But lucky for you, I had gotten caught up with a few things in the library.”

Alef let out a sigh of relief, “So, do I still have lessons with you?”

“Yes, you do.”

Alef groaned, “Aw man…” He looked out his window, “But it’s almost dark!”

“I won’t make you do the lessons I had planned for today. Instead, I want to focus on something else that Tsadi brought to my attention a few weeks ago.” The Oracle stood up and gestured for him to follow her out of his room. He followed right behind her, “Like what?”

“He mentioned how when you were sparring with your friend, you were angered by him and you used psychological magic. Tsadi said you didn’t even notice what you were doing since you were sparring so intensely with your friend.” She explained.

“What? No, I didn’t do that. I’m just strong, and I only know light magic.” Alef didn’t believe what she was saying, “Plus, you said in past lessons that being able to use multiple different kinds of magic is a very rare ability.”

“It is, but Tsadi was very certain in what he saw. I want to test it.” She led Alef to one of the temple rooms that had been renovated into a meditation room. Before going to Alef, she had set up some white candles and incense. They all were lit. The Oracle sat down and she gestured for Alef to sit in front of her.

“What are we doing in here?” Alef sat.

“Testing the strength of your psychological magic.” She used her telekinesis to bring some objects in front of them. She then reached into a bag that was attached to her side and pulled out a small sealed bottle.

With all of the incense burning in the room, Alef's head was starting to feel light. The smell of them was overwhelming his senses. He stopped paying attention to what the Oracle was doing, not because he wasn't interested, but because he started to feel weird.

The Oracle opened the sealed bottle, “My Prince, smell this.” She held it near his face and he lifted his mask, inhaling what was in the bottle. Immediately he began to cough and he instinctively pushed the bottle away from himself. The scent was intense and sharp, it stung his nose and burned the back of his throat.

“Deep breaths, relax.” she said in a calm tone.

He took in deep breaths and tried to relax, “What was that?...” he could feel a strange sensation through his body. It was as if he was being warmed up from the inside while his hands and feet were being pulled upward. The room was beginning to become distorted and Lamed had to hold his arms to keep him sitting up.

“Close your eyes and keep breathing. Meditate. What you smelled was a concentrated herbal oil that helps open up the connection between your mind, body and soul. It will help gauge just how strong your psychological magic will be.” She explained.

“Will be?...” Alef could barely speak. It felt like his mouth was made of jelly, “I feel… like a.. a cloud. A warm cloud.”

“Yes, the oil will also have a few other effects on you.” Once the Oracle had Alef sitting still, she started to instruct him. His eyes were closed but as she was speaking, he could see everything around himself. He was speechless… he didn't just see what was in front of him, but what was behind him, above him, and even what was to his sides. But he wasn't able to speak. He tried but he couldn’t get anything out.

The Oracle got his attention, “I want you to now move any of these objects I have placed in front of you. Concentrate on picking them up, focus on them.” Alef thought that was odd for her to say. He went to try and grab one of the objects but his hand phased right through it. But what was that? It wasn't his hand. He could see right through it. In fact, he was moving, he could tell he was moving, but his body was still. He realized he could see his own body and he started to freak out.

“It's alright, young prince. This is normal. Just focus on moving any of these objects.”

Could she see him? He waved his hand in front of her but she didn't have a reaction. Then he tried poking her shoulder and his hand went through but she flinched, “The objects.” She had a scolding tone. Right, the objects. He reached for one of them again and this time he was almost able to pick it up. It slipped right through his fingers.

“Again, focus.”

Alef suddenly got frustrated. He picked up the object and threw it out of frustration. The Oracle's eyes widen from surprise and shock. He then realized he shouldn't have done that. He wanted to apologize but he couldn’t get the words out to say it.

“Seems your emotions strongly influence your abilities, young prince. That's very common with psychological magic, so there's no need to feel bad.” The Oracle retrieved the object with her telekinesis and placed it back in front of him, “How about this; you think of something that makes you happy while trying to pick one of these up?”

Alef thought of some of the fun times he's had with his friends and he attempted to pick up one of the objects again. This time, he was able to pick it up without problem.

“Good. Now think of something that angers you.”

Something that angered him… not many things made him angry. He thought for a while before he remembered something. He remembered what Olali told him about people calling him a demon and how distressed it made Olali. The object that was in Alef’s hand was instantly crushed in his grasp. Alef dropped the object out of shock. It felt like the object turned into paper in his grip.

“Good…” the Oracle had a worried expression under her mask but her voice remained calm. This discovery put a twinge of fear in her. His abilities were a lot stronger when negative emotions were influencing him. She would need to work with him on that.

"There's one last thing I'd like for you to do.” The Oracle stood up and got into a defensive potion. Alef noticed how this purple aura started to come out from the center of her chest and surround her.

“Hit me, as hard as you can. Don't be scared to hurt me. What you were thinking about that made you crush the object, think about it again and hit me as hard as you can.” The Oracle had a serious tone in her voice that Alef didn't like. She wanted to know just how powerful he could be and this was the final test she had for him.

Alef was a little hesitant but if she insisted… he took in a deep breath, or at least his physical body did, and thought about that memory again. Alef charged at her and punched the Oracle as hard as he could. She underestimated his strength. The oracle went flying through the air but her reflexes were quick enough that she stopped her own momentum before she could crash into anything. Once her feet were back on the ground, she grabbed a different bottle from the pouch she carried. Breaking its seal, she dipped her finger in it and wiped the liquid under Alef’s chin. He breathed in sharply as he felt himself being pulled back into his own body. His eyes snapped open and he let out a yell that was involuntary. He patted his own body and looked at his hands.

Alef looked up at Lamed as she was putting away the items, “WHAT WAS ALL OF THAT?!” He didn't mean to shout but he wasn't able to control his volume just yet.

“That was the test.”

𓆩✧𓆪 𓆩✧𓆪 𓆩✧𓆪