“Stop being mysterious and tell me already!” Lilian snapped.

“You’ve got a Star Fragment.” he sealed the box, repairing the runes on it. “That explains a lot, actually. It’s how you’ve got that flesh changing ability, and the box stopped the System itself from scanning you.”

“I do?” Lilian asked, sitting up after Angel closed the latch. “I suppose that does make a certain amount of sense. Soul must have put them into all of us when he added in the rest of the Magitech. He told us that he’d used some form of Old World Magic to ingrain the spells into us.”

Angel grunted. “But why is it just sitting there? My Star Fragment got absorbed. For some reason, yours is just loose, yet you’re still drawing magic from it.”

They both came to the same conclusion at the same time.

“He was using us as storage,” Lilian muttered. “Was he planning to take the Star Fragments back at some point? The deeper you look, the less I feel like I actually knew Soul.”

“It goes without saying that you should keep this under wraps,” Angel said, rocking back on his chair. “Soul was playing at something. Even if he’s dead, I suspect we’re still caught in his game. Do the other Reawakening members know about this?”

Lilian shook her head. “I didn’t start distancing myself in field missions for the first few hundred years. We’re all on the same page as far as I know.”

“That’s good. Information is power.”

Lilian slipped off the table. Angel folded his blanket up and tossed it into a corner.

“I’m going to look into Soul’s core,” he decided. “There’s still some time before my students show up. Meanwhile, do you think you can figure out if I’ve got a room somewhere? The floor is getting a bit uncomfortable.”

“You still haven’t found that out?” Lilian asked, hiding a laugh. “I’ll find Vanessa and see if there’s a bed for you somewhere.”

She bid him farewell and headed out of the workshop. As soon as she was gone, Angel set Soul’s core on the table. The tiny red crystal on it blinked at him innocently. He growled and started scanning over the runes.

It was, without a doubt, a relic. Every fault in Angel’s temporary core had been solved in Soul’s. Runes weaved in and out of each other, making it look more like a piece of art than a tool.

His experience working with the other two relics lent itself well. Since Angel already knew the core’s purpose, he was able to confirm its purpose with just a little help from Blue. The core was almost exactly what it should have been.

The only part on it that stood out was the tiny red crystal. Not a single rune on the orb connected to it, meaning the crystal was a separate entity. There were miniscule scratches within it, but they were so small and warped that he couldn’t tell if they were runes or just damage.

“I almost wish I found a self-destruct pattern or something,” Angel complained. “There’s no way that slimy bastard didn’t leave a parting gift.”

“Disassembly would allow a more proper inspection,” Blue pointed out.

“I can’t do that.” Angel rubbed his forehead. “If I broke it, Lilian would be in the hole. I can’t keep making her temporary cores forever.”

“Then you must deal with the consequences as they come.”

“When did you become a philosopher?” Angel asked.

Blue bobbed in what he suspected to be the artifact’s version of a shrug. It was getting more and more humanlike by the day.

Angel spent a few more minutes prodding at the orb, then gave up and put it away. It was almost time for lunch. He brushed himself off and strode out of the workshop.

Alison and Tilly were sitting on opposite sides of the hall.

“How long have you been here?” Angel asked. “And Blue, why didn’t you let me know?”

“They were not standing outside of your door,” Blue replied. “And you were busy.”

“Not that long,” Alison said, but the way she stretched her legs told Angel that she’d been sitting there for a while. Her stomach rumbled and she blushed.

“I just got here.” Tilly stood and crossed her arms. “Do you make it a point to make your apprentices wait for you?”

“You aren’t my apprentice,” Angel said flatly. “But yes, I do enjoy tormenting children. It’s the highlight of my day. You’re welcome to come along if you’d like, though.”

He headed down the hall and the two girls hurried to keep up.

“Where are we going?” Tilly asked. “You’re supposed to be teaching us!”

“I’m getting lunch.”

“I’ve already eaten,” Tilly said.

“Then you’re welcome to watch.”

They left the building and Angel traced his steps towards the mess hall. Halfway there, he reconsidered and changed his path towards the gates that he’d initially dropped Vanessa off at.

“Angel!” Silver’s voice called. He paused, turning towards the direction it had come from. Silver sauntered out from a pathway between two buildings.

“I was getting lunch,” Angel said. “Don’t you have to be guarding Vanessa or something?”

“That’s mostly when she goes outside the Academy. I’m just wandering around right now,” Silver said. His gaze shifted down to the two girls and he tilted his head. “Like them young, do you?”

“They’re here to watch my runework,” Angel said, nonplussed.

“Ah,” Silver said. He shook his head sadly. “I should have known you’d be too boring for that. Not that I can complain, I’m looking forward to my cool hat. Where’s lunch going to be at?”

“I hadn’t decided yet,” Angel replied. “I take it you’re inviting yourself?”

“If I wasn’t wearing this mask, you’d see my charming smile,” Silver said, giving him a tiny bow. “I know just the place. Follow me.”

Angel didn’t bother arguing. Silver had been in Molten Ridges for a while longer than he had, so the former bandit probably had a good idea of what restaurants were good. The small party left the Academy grounds and worked their way through the streets of the city.

After a few minutes of walking, Silver stopped them before a large three story building. It was plain aside from a carving of a cauldron in the black stone above the doorway.

“The Smoking Cauldron?” Tilly asked, staring at Silver with undisguised shock. “You need a reservation to eat here.”

Silver snorted, entering the restaurant and walking up to the bar counter. “Table for four, please,” he told the large bartender.

“Of course,” the man replied. “Second floor, fourth door on the left.”

Tilly gaped as Silver waved and headed towards a stairwell beside the counter. Alison’s head turned on a swivel as they followed him deeper, and Angel couldn’t blame her. While the room wasn’t the fanciest one he’d ever seen, it was in the running.

The metal tables were shaped as if they were trees with flattened tops. At the center of the room was a huge black cauldron that had probably been the restaurant’s namesake. People in fine clothes sat around the tables, talking in hushed tones.

They followed Silver up to the second floor. It was much plainer than the first had been, but the décor had been exchanged for privacy. Instead of an open room, there were a dozen smaller rooms blocked off by doors.

Silver took them inside their assigned room, where a circular table already had silverware and fine plates resting on it. He claimed a cushioned chair and indicated that they should do the same.

“How did you get a room like this?” Tilly asked, taking the chair to Silver’s left.

“Threatened the owner,” Silver replied, not missing a beat. “So, you teach these two anything useful yet, Angel?”

“No,” Angel replied. He cracked his neck and chuckled. “You’re not going to get them to make you something, so give it up. Can’t you just ask Daliah for it instead?”

“I could buy it with my own coin if I really wanted to,” Silver said, shaking his head. “But that defeats the purpose. I want stuff for free.”

A waiter entered the room. He swept in, depositing a large plate of bread and butter on the table before vanishing back out the door.

Silver snagged a roll. He paused, glancing at Tilly. “These two work for Daliah, right?”

“Alison doesn’t,” Angel said. “But does Daliah even know?”

“She found out,” Silver replied with a shrug. “Or rather, I told her. Turns out, infamy helps me get paid quite a bit more. I might have underplayed my exact role with the whole Vanessa situation, though.”

“Of course you did,” Angel said.

“Either way,” Silver said. “I’m sure Alison knows how to keep her mouth shut when she needs to.”

Alison swallowed and nodded quickly. Silver removed the mask and set it to the side with a sigh. “That’s better. I hate this thing, you know? Hiding my face should be a crime.”

“You’re a narcissist,” Angel laughed. He took a roll for himself. “And I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t treat me to lunch if you didn’t want something.”

“Who says I’m treating you?”

Angel cocked an eyebrow.

“Right, fine.” Silver smirked. “You got me. There’s a city sponsored competition coming up soon. It’s for Tinkerers, and I want the reward.”

“What is it?” Angel asked.

“A bracelet,” Silver said. “One that has emotional value to me.”

“You care about things that aren’t money?”

“On very rare occasions.” Silver took a bite from his roll and spread his arms. “You can have the money. It’s fifty Vei, so not a small number. I just want the bracelet.”

Angel rubbed his chin. He didn’t have much need for more money right now, and there was still so much he had to do with his own projects. As he made up his mind to refuse, a thought struck him and a slow smile crossed his face.

“I think we can make something happen, but with one small caveat. I’m not going to be competing in this.” Angel nodded to the girls. “They are.”