Small Color
Small Color was a vast, impressive continent owned by the Kefs—a people obsessed with wealth and extreme interpretations of law and order. A Kefs had no middle ground; they were either perfectly honest or ruthlessly corrupt. The continent displayed this duality: large, elaborate buildings, rolling lawns, and manicured gardens where food grew in massive greenhouses and animals grazed in uniquely designed interior caves. The entire enterprise thrived on unpaid inmate labor.
But there was also a bleak, barren side: the Western sector, their destination, covered in fields of volcanic glass with no volcano in sight. Shain would be housed here, in low-population buildings, surrounded by various criminals but with the strange offering of prestigious, sometimes paid, jobs.
The blue airship slowly rose over the continent's western sky. Rachel felt a cold sensation glide down her spine.
Shain stood beside her. Without turning, Rachel asked, "Is this truly what you want?"
"Yes."
"Yes," Rachel repeated, nodding, accepting his commitment to the painful path.
The ship halted above a large square, and a wide, clear tube of light descended. When the light receded, a large group stood behind: Shain, surrounded by Rachel and her Antrunie, who were in turn surrounded by the Azmin Guard commanders.
A group in blue and yellow uniforms, bearing a blood-red rose patch above the left chest, approached in a loose formation. Their leader, Allons, was a large, fierce Kefs towering nine feet tall, with long, fire-red hair streaked with yellow. His deep yellow, almond-shaped eyes were piercing. He was the current warden of Small Color's Western reaches. Allons was unique for a Kefs: not just a businessman, he was a renowned fighter who wielded more than simple knowledge magics. His aggression was strangely pronounced.
His voice was deep and gruff. "Milana! My beautiful Milana. You have come to see me at last. I told you that one day you would come to me."
'Everything has a reason for a fate sorcerer. He will be your next Antrunie... perhaps more,' the realm spoke to Rachel's soul. Rachel frowned inwardly, recognizing the man's significance but detesting his arrogance. Enduring him will be the challenge, she thought.
"Wait here until I call you." A brightly hued rainbow coiled and tied itself around Shain, then dissolved into him. "Be quiet for a moment, brother. I will call for you soon."
Rachel levitated, her feet flat on an invisible platform. She floated over the Azmin and descended in front of the Kefs leader. Allons smiled up at her throughout her descent.
She landed, a small smirk on her face. "Dramatic as always, Allons. How have you been?"
His smile brightened, then quickly dulled. "How can I be, when all I do is wait for you and you never come."
Rachel surveyed the quiet courtyard and the rolling hills of grayish-black volcanic rock, where sparse, colorful grasses jutted out.
She looked at him, her smirk more pronounced, an eyebrow raised. "I would think a place like this would make you giddy. Don't you love the sparse and bleak?"
Allons narrowed his eyes. "I endure it all just for you."
Rachel knew this man. He was a great knowledge mage, capable of divining more through information than many fate or soul magicians. She listened, knowing his words often contained hidden meanings.
"So you will be here for my brother?"
Allons bowed with surprising, deep respect. Rachel was so shocked it almost showed. "I will be here as long as he is."
"Rather dramatic," she murmured.
Rachel looked back at her group. "Come to me." Shain rose into the air, followed by the Antrunie. The four moved smoothly toward her.
"Where will my brother reside?" Shain, Rebecca, Smral, and Ambruce stood next to her, Shain protected in the center.
Allons spared a glance at Shain before his eyes rested once more on Rachel's. "Follow me, Milana."
As they left, the tube descended and rose, leaving the Azmin guard commanders gone. The Azmin ship slowly sailed away and dipped down below the continent, beginning its return journey to Azzit.
Small Color was historically treacherous. It wasn't until the profit-savvy Kefs arrived that it thrived, using inmate labor and devising ways to cultivate food and profit from the volcanic rock. Because the Kefs "owned" Small Color, it housed both business and government buildings—including the headquarters of one of Trannisa's largest banks, which had ties to the Trannisa Conglomerate.
The landscape was endless volcanic rock, punctuated by tufts of colorful grasses and strange, spiny cacti. The journey was an illusion; straying from the path meant being lost forever.
Just as some of the Kefs were about to question Allons, a vast city appeared before them—a sparkling city of white and gold, pristine and elegant.
"This is a prison?" Rebecca asked, incredulous.
Allons smiled at Rebecca, then looked at her appraisingly, nodding in approval—a gesture that drew sharp frowns from both Smral and Ambruce. "It is far more than that, Antrunie. I see your Antrunie are getting stronger, Milana. I am glad. I need you safe."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow and looked to Rachel, whose expression remained impassive. Rebecca pursed her lips and put her hand into Shain's back. "Come now, Azalstin Shain. Time to get you home so we can be about our business."
The city was pristine. Buildings in neat rows crested slightly from the main road, circling four large buildings at the center, surrounded by a wide, calm moat. Six bridges led from the center to six districts.
"Azalstin Shain will be in the third district."
A large carriage, drawn by six eight-legged, two-headed, two-tailed creatures resembling horses, stopped before them. Allons, then Shain, followed by Rachel, Rebecca, Smral, and Ambruce entered. The other Kefs dispersed.
The carriage took them to the central buildings. They entered the shortest one, moving to a room filled with runic circles.
"This is where he will be bound to the continent, specifically the western cities," Allons explained.
Rachel surveyed the circles. "I can put his abilities into a state of hibernation here as well."
Allons smiled broadly—an odd sight on his stern face. "Then let's begin."
Rebecca, Smral, and Ambruce watched from outside as the circles in the great room lit up.
Shain stood in the center of the most central circle. Magics flared, making him feel hot and cold simultaneously. A wind blew through the room as dense magic poured from two circles on the back wall, flowing into an outer circle on the floor, causing all the circles to pulse. Allons flipped his wrist, directing magic from a side-wall circle into the floor circles. As this magic flowed, the floor circles spun upwards, wrapped tightly around Shain, and dove into his forehead and abdomen.
Rachel's arms, which had been at her side, raised. She brought her thumb, pointer, and index fingers together quickly. The rainbow rope she had placed on Shain earlier disengaged and dissolved into light sparks.
As Rachel's magics released him, the magics of Small Color fully took hold.
Rachel watched closely. She understood knowledge magic well, and soul and mental magics even better. The magics were binding Shain, but also granting him certain privileges. Crucially, she couldn't perceive what those privileges were, only the bindings and illusion magics.
She looked at Allons. "And what are the privileges for those in the western cities?"
Allons smiled. "Of course the Milana would understand all." Rachel sensed his surprise. "I have no idea. These privileges were set up by the main facility. I am told they will bring no harm to Azalstin Shain."
'So he examined the circles and their intentions before using them on Shain. Okay Allons, you receive a brownie point,' Rachel thought, confirming his calculated behavior.
"Let Shain rest a moment. All of the privileges he was given were a bit draining all at once." Rachel looked to her brother. "Good thing you did some training, Shain. This magic may have led to your death."
Shain breathed heavily, meeting her gaze with a weak smile. "Not with you here, dear sister."
"Indeed." A chair appeared behind Rachel, and she sat down. As her people entered, chairs appeared for them, and they sat as well.
Rachel exhaled deeply. "Would you like to wait with us, Allons?" A chair appeared across from her. He smiled and moved the chair to her side, sitting down.
Rebecca, Smral, and Ambruce all raised an eyebrow at the blatant flattery.
Rachel focused. Her eyes lit up and twinkled. Shain stiffened like a statue. His spirit body quivered, stepping abruptly out to his right. A sparking ball of light, oscillating between purple, yellow, and gray, ignited in its abdomen. Next, Shain's soul body stepped out and stood to his left, igniting a similar ball of light in its forehead.
Rachel rolled her shoulders, and magic flowed from her into both balls of light. They flared, dimmed, then flared again, pulsing three times before dimming completely. Light magic streamed toward them, as if a vacuum had been activated, but was rejected by the now pale balls of light. Only small amounts were permitted to nourish and maintain the spirit and soul bodies.
Both re-entered his body: first his soul body, then his spirit body. Shain swayed where he stood.
Rachel looked at her brother appraisingly. "You need some food, brother, and a few hours of rest." He nodded weakly. "Your spirit and soul bodies will need time to adjust to their new state. They will stay strong, though."
Shain smiled. "Don't worry, sister. I trust you fully."