So what are the orbs?
The Marbles of Energy , one of the 12 items of Balance
It has fallen a millennia ago due to some total angel's...accident, they said.
Scattered all over Kagal, these marbles...now orbs give off a strong power of energy, energy which changes its colour according to its kind, kinetic, heat, and such.
After their fall, they have destroyed and built civilizations, even Oriken has an energy orb of its own, actually I own it.
The first step to collecting them all, they weren't supposed to fall into civilization anyways, it is better to put it back in the hands of someone who can control these.
But right now, too many of these thoughts are clashing with theirs.
They said, in summary, that Royals aren't to be trusted, and giving the marbles back won't achieve anything.
Well thats why we have to try, isnt it? We dont know who is at the throne now since both Royals of this generation have fallen, Kartheina and Andre Valancia.
Either the old generation steps back up, or they make a new one, or would it be empty? I have no idea. But it means it changed, and I want to take the risk.
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It wasn't long until we had our next break, at the root of a mountain. I scanned the area, and noticed a glimpse of light shining from a cave, it was...tinted green.
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I ran over as quickly as my feet can physically move.
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The cave was cold, smelling of damp stone and old earth. The only light came from a faint, greenish glow deeper within, casting long, dancing shadows that made the walls feel like they were breathing. And there, curled in a nest of her own toolbags, was Lily, holding a wrench that beamed the color that I saw, it is the signature green that I put on all my tools.
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She was shaking, her knuckles white where she gripped the strap of her bag. Not from the cold. From a fear so pure it seemed to vibrate in the air around her.
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"RoseBud! It's you!"
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The relief in her voice was a physical force. She scrambled up, stumbling over the uneven ground, and threw her arms around me. The impact was small, but it felt like the only solid thing in the world.
I held her, my own heart thudding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. For one breath, two, there was no plan, no past—just the immediate, terrifying reality of her fear.
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"Lily. What happened? Are you hurt?"
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My voice was my own. Soft. Worried.
She shook her head against my shoulder, her words tumbling out in a frantic whisper. "It was Brut. She found me at the workstation. She said... she said if I helped you with the 'royalist nonsense,' she'd make sure I couldn't. She meant it, RoseBud."
She pulled back slightly, her eyes wide and searching. "Who is Brut? Why does she want... to hurt me?"
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Brut went all the way to Oriken? The thought was an ice-cold spike. My confession by the riverbank—my moment of foolish, hopeful openness—still hung in the air, and now this? The consequence was here, and it had my apprentice's terror written all over it.
My carelessness had led a predator right to her. The warm relief of Log's understanding and Lizy's hug evaporated, replaced by a freezing wave of guilt and panic. This is what happens when you drop your guard. This is the price.
Lily needed help. She needed safety. And the only way to provide that right now was to be the person who had answers. The person who was in control. The person who never made mistakes.
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"Lily, you're safe here now."
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The words came out smooth, practiced. My hand went to her head, patting it in a rhythm I didn't feel. A comforting gesture that felt like a performance.
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"I've... never felt so close to... death," she whispered, her whole body trembling.
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A part of me wanted to crumble with her. But a louder, more practiced part took over.
"It's Brut's fault, alright?"
I heard the shift in my own voice—a sweet, placating tone that felt like a layer of glass between me and the world. I didn't try to stop it. It was the only shield I had.
"She wants to stop me from getting things that the Royals want."
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"I told you, Rose," Log's voice cut through the cave's chill from the entrance. He and Lizy stood there, silhouetted against the dim light.
"Giving those marbles to them means nothing. And now you're gonna risk your student's life for that?"
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"Miss RoseBud..." Lizy's voice was small. "Brut is... my friend. She must have a reason to do this..." But her words trailed off into the heavy silence, lacking conviction.
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The silence in the cave became a thick, suffocating thing. It was filled with the sound of Lily's shaky breaths, the drip of water somewhere in the dark, and the weight of their disbelief.
That silence felt like an accusation. It demanded an answer I didn't have. So I filled it with the only certainty I could grasp.
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“No.” The word came out like stone. I felt Log and Lizy freeze. “Brut’s violence is exactly why this mission matters. It proves we need order. A real authority.”
I didn’t look at them. I couldn’t. I focused only on Lily’s trembling shoulders. “Stay close to me. We will be fine.”
The silence that followed wasn’t just quiet. It was hollow. I’d built a wall with my words, and now I was standing alone behind it.
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The air changed. The silence that followed was different. Not just quiet, but stunned.
I didn't need to look at Log and Lizy to feel it. I could feel their gaze—not angry, but… distant. As if I’d suddenly spoken a language they didn’t understand. They were observing a stranger.
A heavy sigh came from the cave entrance. I heard Log's footsteps retreating. After a moment, a softer set followed as Lizy ran after him.
The cave felt vast and hollow without them. The green light seemed to pulse, mocking.
Lily leaned against me, a small weight seeking protection from the person who had just driven her protectors away. I held her, my posture perfectly straight, my voice artificially calm.
But inside, the thought echoed in the new, lonely silence: Well, that didn't last long.
The brief vulnerability I'd offered by the riverbank felt like a lifetime ago. It had been a fluke, a crack in the foundation.
Now, the walls were back up, stronger than ever. And I was starting to wonder if I would ever know how to be truly myself, or if "myself" was just a series of rooms I’d built to survive, each one emptier than the last.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.