Sora Brontarion
Thanks to Nerena, we escaped the rift guardian. Once we reached the surface, we built some shelter.
It was still dark, and everyone was exhausted.
I suggested the group find a way to sleep and recuperate before heading back to the hideout.
Stravos agreed to the idea. He sent his Titan to scout the area around us while he took watch with Simon and me. Simon, meanwhile, planned to repair our Truth Seeker's damaged drones and told the other armament techs to get some rest.
Stravos stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree a few feet away from us.
Cyrus did that a lot too.
What was it with boys and leaning on things?
I could see beads of sweat forming across his forehead. He looked paler than usual, and exhaustion was written all over his face.
We were all exhausted, but he looked worse. Almost haggard.
Simon and I sat in silence for a while; the only sound was the clanging of his tools as he worked on the repairs. As he worked, I noticed a golden hue glowing from his hands.
I stood up from the log I was sitting on and walked over towards him.
"Simon," I asked, standing over him.
He jumped a bit, fumbling the screwdriver he had in his hands.
"Y-you need something?" he said, looking up at me.
"Not necessarily; I just noticed your hands glowed and realized I haven't seen you use any constellation abilities."
Simon's hand picked up some dirt from the ground, flattened it in his palm, and held it out in front of me.
"That's because it's not suited for battle," he said, as the astral tattoo on his hand began to glow.
The dirt hardened.
Simon knocked on it with a knuckle, testing it.
What constellation does he have?
Then the hardened dirt changed colors. Its brown color transformed into something metallic, shiny, and yellow.
I looked up at him.
"Did you just create a golden bar?"
Simon let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah, I can do the same for silver and copper, but only in small amounts. I needed gold because it was a good conductor of electricity, and the circuits of the drones were ruined." Simon said, screwing the gold bar in place.
Until now, I wasn't sure what to think of him. With a unique ability like that, we could use someone like him in Shangora.
It would provide many people with even more resources for trade.
"You're more useful than I thought. You'd be a great addition to the Vortaris Empire," Stravos said with a nod.
"When this is over, follow me."
I exhaled and turned to Simon.
"Simon, what family do you belong to? I don't recall knowing a branch family with this ability?"
Simon winced at my words.
"I don't belong to a great family, nor a branch family. I was bought."
"Bought?"
Simon looked up at me, his fist clenched, and brows pinched.
"Yes. It may sound like a sick dream, but there are underground rings that sell children to greedy and horrible people. People who will abuse anyone and anything they can to come out on top."
My so-called parents weren't high-level Starbound. They were Adept-stage Starbound and farmers, no less. They were retired Rift Runners who had been forced to leave the profession because of severe injuries.
They bought me because of my ability to soften and harden minerals. They thought it would help improve soil in their land.
But it didn't work out, so they told me I had to earn my keep, and said I had to become a rift runner to pay back the investment they spent, otherwise they would kill me. So they made some calls and got me into Xhatal Academy."
I knew there were stories of ancient monarchs keeping slaves as spoils of war. But I had never thought beyond those stories, because the practice had long since been abolished.
But I know now that just because something is illegal doesn't mean it stops happening.
I held Simon's gaze.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Maybe it's just the universe testing me, seeing how much I can handle before finally blessing me." Simon said, screwing more parts together.
I paused as a shadow of memories passed over me.
"I can understand that."
"What's there to understand?" Stravos cut in.
"It doesn't matter whether it's the universe testing you or someone else. Failure is not an option," he said through gritted teeth.
"Make the universe bow"
"The Prince of War, heir to the Vortaris throne. It feels like you are at odds with the universe?" I said.
Stravos turned his gaze and looked away.
I shifted my gaze back to Simon and the Truth seeker drones.
"But by the way, you seem like a very capable armament tech. How come you aren't doing the internship?" I asked.
"Because I refused to show the academy my second Node abilities. I didn't want to be taken advantage of more than I already was. I thought that if I could prolong my stay at the academy, I'd eventually reach the age where I can make decisions for myself," he said, bringing one of the drones closer to his face.
"Besides, I don't want to be a Rift Runner. I just want to build something that I can be proud of, and leave a stamp on the world."
He's definitely not a branch member of the Vortaris, nor the Zmei. That's for sure.
"I don't care about status, influence, or even the strength to defeat hordes of behemoths. The power freedom provides is all I could ever ask for."
"That line of thinking is flawed," Stravos said.
"You have a lot to say, Stravos. Why don't you join us?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Freedom is not given; it's taken. Taken by the powerful, by the one who conquers their adversaries and bends them to their will. That line of thinking proves that there needs to be hierarchy, why there needs to be someone to force structure on the world. It's just flawed."
Stravos was wrong. Power was necessary, and so was structure. But forcing people to obey wasn't true power.
Influence was more important than force. Anyone could make someone obey them if they were strong enough. But making someone want to follow you?
That was different.
That was power.
Power was influence. The ability to change people's hearts, shape their choices, and bring them together behind a single purpose. And if people didn't understand what was best for them, then sometimes someone had to make that choice for them.
I believed that was what a leader was supposed to do.
I looked at Simon.
"I hope one day you find the power you seek," I said.
Simon placed the last drone down on the ground.
"Thanks, Sora. Maybe the universe will grant you your blessing too. Even you, Stravos."
I nodded, clenching my fist.
Simon yawned. "I'm gonna crash and get some sleep."
Simon laid down in the shelter we created earlier and left me and Stravos alone to keep watch.
After an hour of sitting in awkward silence, my eyes got heavy.
"Hey Stravos, you mind keeping watch for a little bit while I rest up?"
"Do whatever you need, so that you're not a hindrance on the way back."
Prick.
I found a spot next to my cluster, rested my eyes, and put my life in the hands of someone I couldn't stand.