He deliberated for a moment, then looked at the stone still resting on his palm. No changes. "This might not ever work."
Merrin sighed, looking around the small cave room.
Lamps burned bright at the base of the walls, their glow flickering softly. The froststones, though few, still cast a faint blue shimmer across the dark surfaces. In a way, it was a soothing sight. Yet, today, once again, after hours of mining, he had come away empty-handed. No metals meant no food for the day…
Merrin, as expected, had scoured the usual spots where he occasionally uncovered scraps. Not this time. Perhaps the recent influx of new slaves—or at least those who had survived the cruciform—had strained the supply. The mines seemed to be running low on food. To make matters worse, his particular shaft produced no metal whatsoever.
If I knew how to cast, maybe I could make Oredite to sell. Yes, right? It should be possible with casting…. He thought for a while before moving his eyes back to the stone.
Another try!
"Uhm…What are you doing?" A familiar voice reached him.
Moeash!
"Can't see? This one trying to aid." Ron said.
Merrin looked up at them, smiling. His saviors were here….At least some of them.
Ron wore his usual torn robes that resembled too close to that of an Aspirant, albeit he's was black. His hands also were buried within his sleeves, a smile ever present on his squarish face. Beside him, looking far smaller like a scared child was Moeash.
Dark-haired, with slightly oily, bony, pale skin, the seemingly young sun witness carried a bowl of dirt brown. Molded into that shape by a crafty hand, Moeash slowly entered the cave with Ron by his side.
As Merrin watched them, he rose to his feet, turned, and unfurled the dark cloth Ron had lent him to shield himself from the heat. But before he could drape it over, the towering man murmured, "Not necessary."
Merrin turned to him. "Hmm?"
Moeash nodded a bit frigidly. "We just brought you some food. The sun witnesses did. They thought you were hungry, so they brought this."
He pushed the bowl forward as though it were poison. Was it? Merrin smiled, stood up, and took the food from the shy boy. He then looked into it…..Bread and a paste-like black liquid rested in the dirt-colored bowl.
What the food was, was something Merrin knew; despite that, he hadn't seen such an amount before. He hadn't seen such a huge bulk of food in the mines. His hands trembled.
"This," he said, "This is the cells of everyone, right?"
Moeash started. "Ah, no no no." He waved his hands. "This is just a few of them, not all. This is thank you."
Ron smiled. "This is true. I bore witness. You saved them. Eat and grow, so you save more."
Merrin looked at the paste and bread….then back at the two men staring at him with warm smiles. Genuine ones. Ones that he had saved in a single day. With a single action.
"Thank you." He said in a low voice. "Thank you so much."
"Ah." Moeash looked around, startled. "No, thank you, sunBringer."
"These words true." Ron nodded.
Merrin responded the same, his smile spreading to the pleasant sensation, a warm, honeyed wave coursing through his body. He felt invigorated. True, the food had never been particularly appetizing, but now, somehow, it was. He peered into the bowl at the golden, dried bread and the thick, dark paste.
You will be amazing! He heaved a breath and looked back at Ron and Moeash. He froze. The two men were looking at him with strange expressions. Ron was one with an excited smile, a strange one on his face that seemed accustomed to the warm ones.
Moeash, on the other hand, seemed stunned, his lips twitching.
"Is something wrong?" Merrin asked.
"Ah…" Ron said, "Your eyes. Before black was color, now it's water."
"Clear," Moeash said in hushed tones.
Watery eyes? What is he talking about?
"Here," Ron said, taking out a waterhusk from his sleeves. How much exactly was in there? "Use this," he added.
Merrin stared skeptically at the can before shrugging. A waste of water, surely, but he had to see—had to grasp what it was that startled them.
He took the bottle and set the bowl down on the black rag spread. Then, moving to a lamp inserted at the base of the wall, he opened the can and swiftly poured water onto the ground.
Steam hissed as it met the surface, fuming a lazy white mist. He watched silently, resisting the urge to dance in it. That was a bit harder than he expected. Continuing, he poured the liquid into a single spot, watching the fluid gather before evaporating. Soon, a small pool formed about the size of a child's hand.
Merrin pressed his face close to the water, minding not the steam. If anything, he enjoyed it. It wasn't every day he gained a wet face. However, there in the watery reflection of the pool, he saw his eyes; sharp-edged with pupils that had a measure of depth in them…. But instead of the black he had grown accustomed to, what peered back was a mesmerizing surface of clear crystal, like glass—a mirror that echoed the purest of things.
Just looking at them forced a calmness over his body. Thoughts vanishing. Then slowly, before his eyes, his pupils washed over with a blackness, like a dye dropped into clear water. In the next moment, his limpid eyes turned into the usual black shade.
Mists!
He jumped away, the last drops of water vanishing into the haze of steam. What was that? Merrin glanced at the two staring—their gazes betraying questions and thoughts.
Not in front of them!
He calmed, heaving a silent breath.
"What was that?" Moeash spoke before Merrin could.
Mists!
"Is that something you, a sunBringer, can do? I felt calmer." Moeash touched his chest, looking back at Merrin.
Merrin moved forward to speak. "Yes, believe this," Ron interjected. "This is something known to his kind. I've read this and know it."
What?! Merrin froze to the words.
And moeash…His eyes widened, lips curving into a slow-growing smile. "Halo!" he shouted. "Praise the sunBring—"
"No," Ron said in a deeper voice. More stern than his normal one. "Such things not said here. Walls listen too."
Moeash absorbed the words, then gave a firm nod.
Merrin, however, was taken aback. For one, everything that had just happened had required nothing more than his presence. Somehow, it was as though Ron instinctively knew how to defuse the situation. And as he had warned, uttering praise for the sunBringer while the sister was so shaken by it could be dangerous for them.
And considering how weak he currently was, Merrin did not think he needed such troubles.
However, beyond that, he turned his gaze from the towering man to Moeash. "Could you please leave?" He strove to keep his tone as courteous as possible. Yet, Moeash appeared unfazed, merely uttering an "ok" before scurrying out of the cave. But not before Merrin reminded him to express his thanks to the Sun Witnesses for the food they had provided.
With Moeash's departure, silence descended upon the room. So complete was the stillness that, apart from the distant bangs of iron against iron, not a single sound remained. Merrin needed this quiet for what he intended to ask. For one, Ron seemed to possess more knowledge than he was revealing.
Of course, he had no intention of prying his secrets from him, instead, it was simply a question of something that could aid him.
"Ron, do you know more about casters and orders?" Merrin asked frankly.
"This is true."
Merrin smiled, taking a step down before sitting on the floor—bowl in hand. "Can you tell me about them?"
The giant of a man stayed silent, eyes drawn down at him… then. "Hmm." He bowed before settling his shoulders. Was he tense or something?
It mattered not.
"Hmm, this will start with simplicity," Ron said, hands still tucked into his sleeves. "Caster. They use the adi—symbols to…" he cocked his head, "Hmm, change the world?"
Merrin frowned. This will be hard. Though he hoped for some unforeseen outcome, the truth remained that Ron had trouble with words. The ascent of his made things difficult, especially given the need to explain such a topic. A topic that involved casters.
Nothing I can do about that…He thought dejectedly, his gaze lowering to the bowl in his hands. Would it be rude to eat while he spoke? It seemed so. But….he was so very hungry.
Don't show it.
Merrin glanced at Ron, the man who now wore a pensive face. What was he thinking about? Merrin wondered, yet held back the curiosity that the giant had not given him the grant to ask.
After a long while, he nodded in some affirmation and said, "The Adi is everything. Form, shape. Everything is the adi. What is seen is false form. Fake one shown to calm mind. But true form exists. More strange, willful, dangerous. But yes. Real adi form—symbols."