I couldn't believe that she had been with me this whole time. Even in the tales we were told as children, death was final. The whole point of having mana was so that your short life could be lived in relative ease and luxury.

But Myriam had managed to find a way and circumvent it.

All these nights I thought that I was talking to the orb, feeding it with my feelings for her, she was most probably standing on the other side, giving replies she knew I couldn't hear—thinking I would never hear them.

Being able to communicate with her again was a second chance that nobody ever gets. The chance to say all of the things you never think of saying until after you lose someone. And yet still I wanted more. More than just talking with a voice in an orb. I wanted to look at her again. I wanted to touch her again.

Having seen the power of the priests of Arirlun and how their whole culture was built around the great forge, I was hopeful that Man's suggestion might actually work. After all, the orb had been made indestructible by a mortal, and the hammer of the forge belonged to a god.

I knew Kai was marching north, probably trying to find me, but I couldn't have cared less as long as Myriam was alive but imprisoned. If Arirlun's hammer would not work, I was determined to continue traveling the world until I found a way to break her out of there. Even if it meant crossing the mountains and traveling into the unknown lands beyond or searching through the wider Apocosmos.

"Adel, are you alright?" Kard asked, as he bumped his fist on my shoulder.

"Yes," I replied, and leaned back on the railings of the ship's deck. "I was just thinking about something."

Our group was sitting in one corner of the deck, chatting loudly while Seika cast a ritual to make the spell that allowed Myriam to communicate with us permanent. Kard and Krysha had only seen Myriam for a very brief time in the enchanted forest, and even that was nowhere near good enough of a circumstance to catch up properly after more than a year apart.

Man, on the other hand, had only heard stories but never actually talked to her. He had, of course, seen her during the liturgy, but she was very different then. We all were.

Hearing them talk, hearing them ask her questions about her life since the liturgy, and seeing them understand why it was so important for me to have her remembered as a saint almost brought tears of joy to my eyes. Myriam had already apologized a thousand times for leaving us in Nara to take care of the dead, but both Kard and Krysha told her they were always thinking of her out there somewhere alone in the wild.

Back then, I had believed I was the only person thinking about Myriam and only now did I realize how selfish of me this was. It wasn't just me who had grown up with Myriam. Every living soul in Nara loved her.

She was the pride of the village. It was only natural that the people of the tower were worried about her. But I also realized now that it was only natural for them not to voice their worries about her to me, knowing the special bond we shared.

Seika's long black hair finally stopped glowing as she finished the spell and produced a small flask from her robes.

"The spell will not fade away anymore," she said, after swallowing three large gulps of water. "I'm sorry to say this, Myriam, but even if you don't want to speak to us, you no longer have any excuse."

"It will be hard, but I'm sure I will manage," she replied, and I could picture her smiling face. "Thank you, Seika."

"Don't mention it," she replied. "But I think I'd like to retreat and lay down for a bit now."

"I'll join you," Man said, and stood up. "Let's give the young ones some time to catch up."

"Seika," said Myriam, from within the orb. "I didn't have the chance to say this before. I'm so happy for you. You'll be a great mother."

"Thank you," my sister replied with a smile, and placed the orb on the shield again.

"And you, Man," Myriam continued. "I don't know much more about you than what Adel has told me, but that's enough to know you're a beautiful soul and I know you'll be a great parent as well."

"Myriam, I…" This was the first time I'd ever seen Man at a loss for words. "Thank you, Myriam. It means a lot to me. I'll do my best."

"You should rest too," Seika told us all in a teasing tone. "We'll be reaching Zakara tomorrow."

"We will," Krysha said, "in a bit."

***

It turned out that Krysha's "in a bit" was a lot longer than just a few more minutes. After Seika and Man retired, we spent at least a couple of hours talking about our lives before the liturgy and going over the finer details of the months after we'd split, taking great care to avoid mentioning Kai.

We didn't want to sour the mood, but the more we danced around the subject, the more apparent it became that we would need to address it at some point.

"I don't know if you've heard already, Myriam," Kard finally said, "but Kai is raising an army in the south."

"A team of merchants from Fjalhun was sent to investigate," Krysha added, "and they reported a giant golden statue resembling him with an army around it. A fleet of angels murdered the merchants. They probably did the same to everyone in the monastery at the End of the World."

"Myriam," I said, trying to soften the blow for her, "I know you feel like he's your brother but—"

"There's no need for this anymore, Adel," she interrupted. "I was a fool to ever believe I had a brother. When my parents were killed, I found new parents in Ched and Nessa, but not a brother. Never a brother."

We simply looked down at the dark wooden boards of the deck, and the silence that followed grew more awkward since we could not see her.

"I believed in the illusion of a brother who needed me to survive—an illusion cast by a monster whose only interest is power and dominion over other people. I feel sorry for him."

"Myriam, you shouldn't feel sorry for him," Krysha interjected. "He'll only take advantage of it."

"I used to believe there was no absolute black or absolute white," Myriam replied. "No being could be pure good or pure evil. We all have our imperfections. That was until I died."

We all glanced at each other, but did not dare say anything. Myriam had had a lot of time to reflect on what had happened that day and to resolve everything within herself.

"I feel sorry for him, Krysha," she continued, "because he was born a monster and will never stop being a monster. He is evil incarnate. And we need to put him down. Just as we did with that kraken."

"I'm happy you see it like that now, Myriam," Krysha said. "We can't do this half-heartedly."

Both Kard and I nodded our agreement. I changed my position from sitting with my back against the ship-rails to laying flat on the deck and looking up at the stars. Kard took this as his cue to stand up.

"I think we should go as well," he said, and pulled Krysha up by the shoulders of her robes. "It's past bedtime."

"Yes, it is," Krysha added hastily, as she stood up and I thought I heard Myriam giggle. "We'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight," said Myriam. I simply waved at them. "Adel, could you place the shield face up on the deck? I want to look at the stars as well."

"Sure," I said, and pulled the shield from the wooden rail it was laying against and placed it beside me.

"It's a beautiful night," she said, and then sighed.

"Myriam," I said, turning away from the sky to face the shield. "I'm so sorry you're in this situation."

"Are you out of your mind?" she replied, in a voice that was a bit louder and a bit more high-pitched than usual. "It's because of you that I'm still here right now. My fate was sealed the moment I trusted Kai. I'm only alive because you came for me."

"I just wanted to help," I admitted.

"Twice already, you arrived in my darkest hour and saved me," she said, and the blue topaz orb shined briefly.

"Did you just do that?" I asked. "Whenever it happened, I thought it was because the topaz had had its fill of stories."

"I did do it, but not on purpose," she admitted. "Whenever I get a strong feeling, the stone shines. Happiness, sorrow, hope. It just happens."

"Which one was it now?" I asked again.

"Peace."