As the war between the Haima’sa and Teros’ remnants raged on, across the ocean, the effects of the battle could be felt. This time however, the effects were neither in the form of the cataclysms that wracked Terra’s surface nor the strange warping of space that had plagued Merricent for the past few months. In fact, these effects could not be felt my most of the residents of the island nation of Avalon, channelled or non-channelled alike. Beyond a single occupant of the Xelot installation Odessa, most citizens of Avalon went about their lives completely oblivious of what had just transpired—but for that one resident, the effects of the battle happening a world away were as clear as day.

Almost a hundred metres beneath the massive military fortress, Kanrei Angelus sat in bed, struggling to keep his powers in check as the fundamental energies that flowed through him tried their best to tear his braver-form apart. The young man sighed at the development, glancing upwards at the analog clock that adorned the otherwise drab walls of the chamber that had served as his room for the past couple weeks.

Oddly enough, rather than grimacing with pain, a smile broke across his lips as he noted the time, laying back and waiting for one of the few things that now broke up his painfully monotonous days.

A hundred meters above him, Richard Angelus paced up and down the lobby of the massive military fortress, waiting impatiently for someone to come and escort him down to his son’s chambers.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the ground Richard.” An all too familiar voice pulled the attention of the middle-aged meta-physicist away from his wristwatch and towards a man that he once considered his closest friend.

Richard’s gaze narrowed at the unexpected sight. In his previous visits, he had been escorted to Kanrei’s room by low-ranking soldiers. This time however, the knight in charge of the facility had come to greet him personally. Curiousity filled the old scientist as he made his way up to the large man and greeted him.

“Deacon.” He announced, looking the massive, armoured soldier up and down before he continued. “I assume you’ll be my escort today?”

“Indeed.” The white-haired channelled responded as his attention was now drawn towards the noticeable unkempt scientist. “It’s good to see you, Richard.” He added.

Richard simply nodded in response.

“Is everything alright with Rei?” He inquired, ignoring Deacon’s pleasantries as his worry became more and more visible.

“Oh yes.” Deacon waved off his concern. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up, so I decided to escort you to the chamber myself today.” He explained before motioning for Richard to follow him. “Shall we go?”

“Yes. Please.” Deacon’s invitation was met eagerly with a nod as Richard prompted him to lead the way.

The large knight obliged, causing his old friend to follow closely as he turned to make his way out of the lobby.

“Not to pry Richard, but you look as though you’ve seen better days.” Deacon sounded, drawing a look of mild shock from his old friend. “Have you been sleeping, old friend?”

“Frankly, no. I’m not sure that I’ve gotten a good night’s sleep in the better part of two decades.” Richard replied dismissively. “I’ve been trying to find a cure for my son… but you know that better than anyone, Deacon.”

“Touché.” Deacon conceded. “Still, you’ve got to take care of yourself, or you’ll be of no use to anyone.”

“That’s easy for you to say, but we dilettantes have our limits.” Richard waved off the suggestions. “Besides, a few hours’ sleep is nothing in exchange for the cure to Rei’s condition.”

Deacon shook his head in response to the statement, noting the use of the pejorative.

“Have you made any progress as to the nature of Kanrei’s affliction?” He pressed but Richard just shook his head at the inquiry.

“This ‘magic’ that circulates through his zeta-streams continues to make no sense.” He shrugged. “I’ve drawn up algorithms that allow me to track it, based on its effects on atmospheric zeta, but I still haven’t managed to develop any kind of technology that interacts with it directly… and twenty years of studying it have yielded an embarrassingly scarce pile of actual discoveries.”

“Celia did suggest as much when she embarked on her project.” Deacon replied, drawing a grimace from Richard at the mere mention of the name. “I suspect that understanding this energy is simply beyond us—all of us—even a genius like you.”

“That’s not something that I can accept.” Richard shook his head. “If you had children you would understand… but I can’t sit idly by and watch my boy suffer the way that he is.”

As the two conversed, they exited the lobby of Odessa and moved towards the more restricted areas of the compound. Just as his subordinates had done before him, Deacon used his channelling signature to open the massive bulkhead doors that separated the military command centre of the Xelot Knights from the rest of the facility. Richard just followed quietly, observing as the military fortress gave way to the gothic cathedral in which the Council of Xelots met.

As the two passed through a large scanning array, they made their way into the cathedral that clearly predated much of the rest of the more modern structure. Greeted first by a long and narrow hallway, the hall soon gave way to a long and ominous flight of stairs.

Richard sighed heavily at the sight, remembering all too well his last trip down them—and even worse, back up at the end of his visit. He just watched with dread as Deacon began to descend. Unfortunately, there was no other way to access the part of the facility in which Kanrei was being housed, as it not just predated the advent of zeta but even that of the electricity that zeta had replaced almost a century ago. This place was ancient and its staircase seemed to go on forever.

After a few minutes of descending, the old scientist found himself breathing heavily, his pace slowing as he made his way down what had to be hundreds of steps at this point. To his surprise and mild annoyance however, Deacon continued ahead of him, never slowing nor even remotely hindered by the physically exerting task. Richard scoffed lightly under his breath at the contrast between himself and the Xelot Knight of the same age, before he forced himself to pick up the pace – remembering days from his youth when the two men would have been able to perform such a task with similar aptitudes and even results.

Another heavy sigh escaped Richard’s lips, but this time it did not escape Deacon’s ears. All the massive Xelot Knight could do was chuckle lightly and shake his head at the expression. At this point, he was all too familiar with Richard’s plight. The distinction between channellers and non-channellers could be quite stark in youth, but nothing compounded the phenomenon more than age. While non-channellers only grew weaker as their bodies were affected by the ravages of time, a channeller’s power was determined solely by his channelling experience – and as such, they simply grew stronger with age.

Such had become the natural order of things in this day and age.

Fortunately, a sigh of relief escaped Richard’s lips as the long stairway finally gave way to a well-lit hall.

“So, tell me… how is he Deacon?” Richard inquired between pants as they slowly made their way into the stone hallway.

“Physically, he’s doing fine.” Deacon responded, having slowed his pace considerably to accommodate his tiring friend. “His most recent episode seems to have subsided almost completely, and the Celtic runes on the walls of his chamber appear to be drawing the mana out of his body, just as Celia had predicted.”

“But—” Richard pressed, prompting Deacon to elaborate on what he was holding back.

“But the same can’t be said for his mental state.” Deacon added solemnly. “His choices are either to endure his excruciating pain or to be confined to what is essentially a prison. Kanrei has a strong spirit, but the only time that I’ve seen the boy smile in the past few weeks has been when you or his sister come down here to visit.”

Richard just growled lightly at his son’s predicament.

“The Council has been as accommodating as they possibly could be, but with the chamber making the use of zeta-based technology completely impossible, there are limits to the comforts that we can provide.” Deacon continued.

“If only we understood how this damned chamber functioned.” Richard’s words dripped with frustration. “Then we could at least try to miniaturize it so that he could leave this dungeon while I worked on a solution to his condition.”

“If only…” Deacon nodded. “Unfortunately, there are precious few of us who can even sense the arcane energies that create the effects within the chamber – so actually understanding why it does what it does is far beyond our grasps.”

“Couldn’t you bring an expert in?” Richard pressed. “What about Amanda Real or Xess McLeod?”

“Richard.” Deacon sighed, before pausing and trying to choose his words carefully. “Xess McLeod is virtually a Rogue contractor at this point, and while she may be a freelancer, Amanda Real’s… discretion is beyond questionable. Don’t forget that the only reason that you are even privy to the existence of this place is because Celia entrusted you with that information—against the better judgement of the rest of the Council.”

Richard scoffed loudly at the response.

“I will never understand you channellers and your secrets.” His words dripped with venom now. “Why would you commit my son to live with this level of suffering, simply to preserve you military superiority?”

Deacon sighed heavily at the comment, shaking his head as he did.

“You know me of all people better than that, Richard.” Deacon scoffed, refuting the very suggestion. “We were friends—at least once upon a time—before Celia and before the Xelots.”

“That was clearly a long time ago Deacon…” Tears began to well up in Richard’s eyes. “Because the man I knew back then would have done everything in his power to help me save my boy.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do, Richard?” Deacon growled lightly. “Do you think anyone else would have dropped everything to come to Merricent in the middle of the night to bring Kanrei here, to a place that hardly anyone even knows exists?”

Richard just looked onwards in silence, forcing Deacon to exhale and calm himself before he continued.

“Runecrafting is an ancient art, and one that’s been dead for millennia. These chambers predate modern day channelling by thousands of years.” He explained. “There’s only one man that might have even been capable of figuring these things out, and he hasn’t been seen for over a century.” Deacon sighed once more. “We are all simply out of our depth.”

“So what then, Deacon?” Richard pressed. “What do you propose; that we leave the boy cooped up here forever?”

“No, I believe these episodes will pass.” Deacon shook his head. “I still trust that Celia knew what she was doing when she infused the boy with this strange energy. Despite his pain, he’s never been this bad in the past, so there’s nothing to suggest that whatever is triggering these episodes will last forever.” He explained. “We must simply have faith.”

“There you go with that annoying blind faith again.” Richard released a sigh of his own.

Deacon just chuckled.

“And what good has that scepticism of yours ever gotten you?” He inquired in response.

All Richard could do was sigh heavily.

“You were always at your best when you trusted in others, old friend. I’m sure that’s why Celia chose you in the end.” Deacon conceded.

“Right… a lot of good that did her.” He dismissed the compliment.

Deacon just shook his head at the off-the-cuff remark.

“It’s been twenty-one years, Richard; you can’t still blame yourself for Celia’s death.” He pressed, but before he could even finish the question, he could see the despair and regret turning to rage in his old friend’s eyes.

“Oh I can—and I do—I should have stopped her when I found out what she was doing.” He snarled. “But I’m not the only one to blame for what happened to her that day.”

Finally, Deacon’s patience had run out with the old grouch.

“What happened that day was Celia’s choice.” Deacon snapped finally. “That you can’t accept it, after all this time, is dismissive of her agency and disrespectful to her legacy.”

His retort caused tears to stream down Richard’s stony face.

“You could never understand…”

“Yes I can Richard, and I do. Celia was the love of your life—” Deacon conceded once more. “—but she meant just as much to some of us as she did to you. Your wife may not have been a Knight, but she was a member of the Council of Xelots—and one of my closest friends—we’ve all lost much without her guidance.” He berated.

“Alright Deacon, that’s enough.” An all too familiar voice sounded from behind the two as they proceeded towards the mysterious chamber where Kanrei was being housed.

Deacon spun to acknowledge it, before dropping to one knee to greet the man at its source.

“Lord Paladin.” He stated with reverence as the source of the voice continued to approach them.

“Rise, Exalted High Knight.” Lord Marshack Almed replied, motioning for the massive man kneeling before him to stand once again. “I will escort your friend to see his son.” Marshack explained. “There’s a man upstairs from the Order of Planet Harmonics that I would like you to meet with.”

“Certainly Lord Almed.” Deacon bowed in affirmation, before turning his attention back to his childhood friend with a glare. “Think about what I said Richard, I hope you’ll find peace in it someday.”

These were Deacon’s last words before he made his way back towards the long stairway, drawing a loud scoff from Richard as he did. All Marshack could do was shake his head at the exchange between the two comparatively young men as he began walking towards Richard.

“Dr. Angelus.” Marshack greeted the scientist with a nod.

“Lord Almed.” Came Richard’s response as Marshack finally caught up to him and began leading the way, as Deacon had.

“I know you’re not a man of faith Dr. Angelus, but your wife’s faith was among the strongest I’ve ever seen.” He started. “Celia believed that your son was the key to the salvation of not just one world but two. You may question the Xelots for supporting her in what you see as a suicidal quest, but if you truly loved her, you should at least trust in the strength of her convictions.”

Richard sighed heavily as Marshack finished his statement. He would not reply however, because as Marshack finished his sentence the two rounded the corner to Kanrei’s chamber, revealing the young man laying quietly on a bed, writing in a book that had become his physical diary.

In that instant, Richard’s thoughts turned from the unpleasantries of his past and towards his hope for the future.

“Son!” He exclaimed as he ran to the young man, drawing a wide smile from Kanrei’s lips as he did.

“Hey dad.” The young man continued to smile as he father approached, rushing straight into the chamber to embrace him.

All Kanrei could do was chuckle as his father squeezed him tightly and tears rolled down the old man’s face.

“How’ve you been, my boy?” Richard inquired as he extended his arms and gently pushed Kanrei away so that he could look at him.

“I’m fine dad, much better than when I got here.” Kanrei chuckled lightly in response, as he in turn looked his father up and down. “You on the other hand, look like hell.” His light laughter continued. “Have you been sleeping?”