“To define enlightennt is to shackle the fledgling ditator with an unfair burden. What it ans to be enlightened is subjective, and it falls upon each child to traverse this path alone, lest their road be ravaged by false information.”
Excerpt from Prologue, House Kraken Manual
In the predawn hours, George, the lord of Tropica, let out a slow sigh.
He’d had a terrible sleep, riddled with interruptions that he couldn’t explain. The first had pulled at his core just after midnight. Unable to calm his racing heart, he’d remained awake for who knew how long, and just when slumber welcod him into its open arms once more, the second event occurred. Unlike the first, this one seed to constrict his entire body. It only lasted for half a breath, but that was plenty of ti for anxiety to shoot up his spine and ruin any chance of more sleep.
Which was why he decided to ditate instead.
As he traversed his way toward his study, George had wondered if he was close to reaching the ‘enlightennt’ his family spoke of. The term was loosely defined, the texts insisting that if explained, it would be harder for one to reach it. What else could these strange occurrences be? After all, they had only begun after he and his wife, Geraldine, started reading House Kraken’s manual. The better they got at the ditations listed within, the more frequent and powerful the unexplainable events beca.
Realizing he was lost in thought, George shook his head, smiling at himself.
I claim to be getting better at the ditations, yet here I am, lost in past worries and future possibilities.
George sat cross-legged in his study, and he let out his breath, focusing once more on the sensations of his body in space, just as his family’s to instructed.
The hardwood of his study’s floor beneath him. His breaths, cooling each nostril when he inhaled and warming them when he exhaled hot air. The spot where his hands rested on his knees, and the tingling that ran up and down his fingers. Together, they rooted him in the present, an unignorable tether to the here and now.
But then the knock ca, three sharp raps of a knuckle on his front door that made adrenaline shoot through George’s body.
He took a deep breath, holding it and willing his heart to remain calm. Just when he thought he’d lose the battle, a hand rested softly on his leg. George cracked his eyes and peered over at his beloved wife.
Geraldine gave him a kind smile, rubbing his knee softly with one hand. “Want to get it, dear?”
“No,” he replied, getting to his feet and stretching. “I can handle him.”
He bent and kissed the top of her head before striding out the door and heading for the stairs. As he walked down them, he didn’t rely on the ornate banisters to either side. House Kraken’s manual was strict with one’s diet, and George had been following it militantly. Though it had been hard to give up his sugary treats at first, that temporary discomfort was nothing beneath the weight of George’s forr stressors. His prodigious size had lted away like candle wax, leaving behind a body that could move much more freely.
As George reached the landing, he paused for a mont in front of the door. Taking one last calming breath, he opened it.
Fischer was standing there, his hand upraised and ready to knock again. “Oh. G’day, George. How are ya, mate?”
The village girl Fischer was often with stood beside him.
“You rember Maria, don’t you?” Fischer asked.
“Of course. Hello.”
“Hi!” She gave him a brilliant smile. “Good to see you!”
“And this is my doggy pal, Borks,” Fischer continued. “I’m not sure you’ve been introduced.”
The golden-colored dog wagged his tail as he stared up at George.
Was he expected to greet the dog, too? He decided it was safest to do so.
“Hello, Borks.”
The dog let out a soft bark, his tail swishing faster.
George pursed his lips, looking back up toward Fischer. The faintest whispers of the day to co shone over the eastern rooftops, the sky there turning a light purple as the sun announced its arrival.
“What can I do for you at this early hour?”
“Sorry about that, mate. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not at all.”
“Good. I ca with a request, actually.”
“Oh?” George swallowed, hoping he hid the spike of fear that drove into him. “I can do my best to fulfill it. What did you need?”
“I want to see your wedding ring, mate.”
George froze, his skin prickling. What did Fischer want with his family’s treasure? The rings he and Geraldine wore were passed down for ti immorial, always going to the heir of House Kraken. Given Fischer’s position and how low George’s house had fallen in recent years, if Fischer saw fit to confiscate the iridescent-stone-encrusted jewelry, there was nothing George could do about it.
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“Everything okay, mate?” Fischer asked, his predatory gaze drilling into George’s very soul.
“No,” he forced out through a suddenly dry mouth. “Of course you can look at it...”
As George slipped the ring off, Fischer’s eyes never left him. They weren’t on George’s face or hands, though—they seed pinned to his abdon for so reason.
“Here...” George said, offering the ring on a shaking palm.
Fischer plucked the ring from George’s hand, and as he held it up before his face, Fischer’s eyes went distant. They seed to look through the ring, and as sothing flashed in Fischer’s pupils, George felt a tug at his abdon.
It was nothing like the strength of those last night. The pull was so faint that George thought he might have imagined it at first, but it continued, his very core getting drawn towards... Fischer. George’s abdon started to tingle, then it started to buzz, and sweat sprouted from his pores.
Abruptly, Fischer’s eyebrows shot up, and that sa weighing gaze drifted to George. There was sothing in the crown agent’s scrutiny that made a primitive part of George’s brain want to flee. He needed to escape, to get as far away from the threat as possible. Of its own accord, his right foot slid back, ready to sprint.
“Huh...” Fischer said, and all at once the ferocity lted away, leaving behind features covered in surprise.
George wiped perspiration from his brow with a shaky movent as he brought his leg forward again. “Is...” The word ca out strained, so he cleared his throat. “Is sothing wrong?”
Fischer grinned. “Not at all, mate! Thanks for that.”
George accepted the offered ring, staring down at it numbly.
“I’ve been really curious about jewelry lately, and seeing this design was a big help. Could I ask one more favor of you, mate?”
“Of course,” George replied, slowly raising his head to look at Fischer.
“Thanks, George. Do you know where Tom Osnan Jr. lives? I wanted to have a peek at his rings too. He has so many of them!”
He nodded, still half expecting Fischer to attack. He hadn’t missed the omission of ‘Lord’ from Tom Osnan Jr.’s na, and winced internally at his disrespect of such a powerful family. “If you follow this street and turn right at the intersection, it’s three houses down. You’ll know it when you see it…”
“Cheers, mate.” Fischer reached a hand out, and in its approach, George saw his doom. The limb seed to co in slow motion, but when it reached George, Fischer patted him softly on the shoulder. “Have a good day, yeah? See ya round.”
“Bye, George,” Maria said, giving him a wave as she turned and followed Fischer’s departure.
“Until next ti...”
George stepped back inside and closed the door, his legs giving way the mont he was alone. He slid down the wall and ca to rest on the floor.
“What in Poseidon’s salted shaft was that...?”
***
When my enhanced hearing caught George’s whispered curse, I stopped mid-step, turning to raise an eyebrow at Maria.
She covered her mouth, her eyes bugging out as she stifled a laugh.
“Maria!” I whisper yelled, trying to hide my amusent. “We shouldn’t laugh at poor George’s social anxiety!”
“I can’t help it! I never thought he’d say sothing so crass!”
I shook my head. “Poor bloke. He’s been doing so well, but every ti I talk to him, he reverts back to his anxious self.”
“Okay, you’re right. I shouldn’t have laughed.” A smile tugged at her lip, betraying her true feelings. “So. Did you learn anything?”
“I did,” I replied, chewing my lip as I recalled the ring’s description.
Iridescent Ring of the Kraken
Epic
A ring of precious tal, adorned by the most sought-after stones found in the Kallis Realm. More than just a symbol of wealth, this ring has a multitude of purposes for those with the requisite knowledge.
I relayed it to Maria, and it was her turn to pause. “You’re serious?”
“I am, but that’s not all. I felt chi from George.”
“You did?” she asked entirely too loudly, then winced, adopting a quieter tone. “He’s a cultivator? Why did we leave, then?”
“Not a cultivator, no. It was weird. He hasn’t awakened yet, but there was definitely sothing there...”
“That’s... troubling.”
I shrugged. “We’ll have to keep an eye on it, but I’m not worried about him. George is a good bloke.”
Maria chewed her cheek. “I’m not too sure about that, but he has been doing good by the villagers lately...”
We slipped into silence as we followed the street, only our footfalls and the tapping of Borks’s nails interrupting the quiet. As we entered the intersection, I looked up, gazing three doors down to the ho of Lord Osnan Jr.
“Holy frack…”
“Yeah,” Maria agreed. “George wasn’t kidding when he said we’d know it when we saw it.”
***
Lord Tom Osnan Jr., heir to house Osnan, woke abruptly.
“What...?” he asked, sitting upright and looking around.
The sky past his silken curtains was still dark, only hints of the sun’s rays cresting the horizon.
His wife, Joanne, groaned from beside him, rolling over and covering her head with a lush pillow. “Soone at the door,” ca her muffled voice.
Surely that wasn’t the case. What sort of fool would—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
For a mont, Tom was confused, but then fury roiled within him. He’d already had a fitful sleep after being woken twice by waves of chi, and now he had to deal with so idiot—probably a peasant—knocking on his door in the predawn hours.
He shrugged a robe on, adopted his best scowl, and stomped downstairs. Throwing the door open, he cast his displeasure out onto the street. Three smiles t him.
“G’day, mate. Nice to see you again.”
It was the upstart that had accosted him the other week. Tom had tried to slap him, but that fool George Kraken caught his hand.
I should have used my full strength... Tom thought. Then I wouldn’t be dealing with this moron right now.
“Everything okay, mate?” the peasant asked. “You having a dical episode of so sort?”
Tom’s lip twitched, and he didn’t bother hiding his displeasure. “Knock on my door again and you’ll regret it.”
He made to close the door, but the man put his foot forward, blocking it. “I’m afraid I must insist, mate. It’s important.”
“Very important,” the woman added, giving him a grin through the crack.
“Why don’t you invite them in, Tom?” Joanne asked, striding down the stairs.
He spun on her, confused by her appearance and the suggestion, but then he caught the righteous anger lining her face.
“Maybe you’re right, dear,” he replied. “Where are my manners?” He swung the door open again. “Would you like to co in and discuss it? We’d be more than happy to hear you out.”
“Thanks!” the man replied, leading them in.
As the three sorry souls entered their ho, Tom and Joanne Osnan shared a smirk.
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