The expectations they held crumbled to dust the moment they peered inside. Of the treasures and kairns they had so eagerly imagined hidden within this mysterious box, not a trace was found. Only silence. Disappointment draped over their faces like a veil. The box itself was peculiar—sealed in a manner even stranger than its exterior. It was clearly high-grade, bound by a blood pact spell. Ancient runes, carved in tongues long forgotten, etched its surface.
And so, after all their efforts—deciphering scripts, breaking seals, wielding their might—only to find a wooden doll inside… disappointment was inevitable.
"What is this?" Vardant's voice was sharp, edged with frustration. "Why is there a doll inside?"
Eira was just as puzzled. Why would her Ma leave behind... a doll?
It was palm-sized, with thick legs and a bulbous stomach. Its neck and arms, however, were slender, almost fragile—but its head more than made up for that. It wore a bizarre smile, its eyes unsettling: one a piercing ice-blue, the other a smoldering crimson.
Beside the doll lay only a withered scroll and a folded letter. Kael picked up the scroll and unrolled it.
Empty.
Then he turned to the letter.
"This letter has something…" Kael paused.
"Well? What is it? What does it say?" Vardant pressed.
"It's written in the same script as the engravings on the box. But… for some reason, I can understand it. No—reading isn't the right word. It's more like… a scene is unfolding inside my mind."
After a moment, Kael set the letter down and reached for the doll, examining it with fresh eyes.
"What does the letter say?" Vardant asked.
"Read it yourself," Kael murmured, still studying the doll's mismatched gaze.
Eira picked up the letter, Vardant close beside her. As they read, they too were drawn in, immersed. Somehow, the script became readable. Not as words, but as knowing.
The letter read:
"Forgive me, my children, for the sin I have committed. No deed I perform can ever make amends.
A great darkness loomed over the world, and I sought to destroy it. But I was powerless. The Blessed One... never blessed me.
I needed strength—your strength. You were just born, yet already it reached for you, tried to kill you, to steal your Emanaa. My hands were bound. No soul would believe me.
So I did the unforgivable. I took your power and fought the evil. But even before I could wield it fully, I was defeated.
I even had to kill your mother. That… will forever be my greatest regret.
And now… nothing remains. These are my final breaths, as I write this. I return your powers to you now.
They are sealed within the two eyes of this doll.
It will be given to you only when you are old enough to understand what these powers truly are… and perhaps, old enough to forgive your father.
I love you, my children."
After reading the letter, a swirl of complex emotions stirred within Eira.
Vardant broke the silence. "Eira… do you think it's your father?"
Her voice was tense, uncertain. "I… I don't know."
Kael gently placed the wooden doll back into the box. "Eira, something about your past feels veiled… uncanny. This blood-pact-sealed box, this doll, this letter—and your Ma. These aren't mere coincidences. There's a connection here… to forces far beyond what we, as common folk, can grasp. Do you remember anything about your past?"
Eira shook her head slowly. "No. My Ma always told me I was the daughter of distant relatives… and that my parents died in a... strange way. But there's one thing she said—just before she passed."
"What was it?" Vardant asked, eyes narrowing.
"She told me… that I was the daughter of some Queen. I don't remember the name. And she asked me to find someone called… the Fallen One."
Kael exhaled, rubbing his temples. "This is getting stranger by the minute. Eira, there's definitely more to your past than you've been told. You must uncover it."
Eira nodded, though a cloud of uncertainty hung over her. She had no idea where to begin. Her Ma had left behind only this wooden doll and an apology letter. Who really was her Ma? How were they truly connected? Who were her real parents? What had happened to them? Who had written this letter? Who was the Fallen One… and the Cursed One mentioned within?
Only now did she truly realize—her life had never been simple or ordinary. She was no mere maid. Her birth was cloaked in mystery, her heritage riddled with unanswered questions.
But for now, there was only one thread to pull. The doll.
After a long silence, Eira spoke. "There's so much I don't know… but I'm certain of one thing—this doll holds some clue to my past."
Kael nodded, examining it once more. "The letter said its eyes possess some power. But I can't sense anything. I don't even understand what this doll is."
"Perhaps the scroll may have something," Vadant suggested.
"No, it's empty", Kael said.
"Let me see." Vardant took the scroll, murmuring, "How to use the doll, umm…"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Kael, you've gone blind! It's right here—clearly written. Instructions on how to use the doll!"
"How can that be? It was empty!" Kael snapped.
"Eira, why don't you take a look?" Kael offered.
Eira nodded and took the scroll. But all she saw was a blank parchment.
"It's empty."
"See? Told you, blockhead. Sleep's got your brain muddled," Kael scoffed.
"Have you both gone blind? It's written right there!" Vardant insisted.
"Is that so? Then go ahead, show us how to use it," Kael said sarcastically.
"Fine, watch closely."
Vardant took the doll, plucked out its crimson eye, and instantly, thick blood began oozing from the empty socket.
"Next, we drop the blood onto the letter."
He held the doll above the scroll. As drops of blood fell onto the parchment, strange symbols and markings began to surface. The entire scroll turned red, pulsing with pitch-black inscriptions.
"Now, place the eye on the letter."
He did. The jewel-like eye floated above the page, drawing the dark markings into itself. Once absorbed, the scroll returned to its original state, and the eye dropped back onto the paper.
"Now, clench the eye in your fist—and the inheritance will awaken."
And with that, Vardant picked up the eye and closed his hand around it.
The ground trembled. A deep, violent quake shook the cave.
"Run! Get out!" Kael shouted.
The three of them bolted out of the house as the tremors continued, the earth groaning beneath their feet.
"Vardant, what the hell have you unleashed?" Kael cursed as they ran.
"I feel... something. Something is happening to me," Vardant said, voice trembling.
Eira was stunned. She had heard of such sorcery only in tales. But now, it was happening right before her eyes.
"Throw the eye away, Vardant!" Eira screamed.
They stumbled through the sand, the earth still shaking. Vardant nodded—but just as he was about to toss it, the tremors stopped.
Silence.
Then, with a deafening boom, a pillar of orange light erupted from Vardant's body.
"It's so hot," Eira gasped.
"Get away from him!" Kael yelled.
They backed away as the pillar surged higher, shifting colors—orange to yellow, yellow to red, red to green, and then to a blazing blue.
And then, an explosion.
The light vanished.
Where Vardant once stood, now lay a boy, unconscious in the sand.
Kael rushed to him. Blood was seeping from every orifice.
Together, he and Eira carried him back inside and laid him on the bed. Kael tore through the drawers, desperately searching for bandages and medicine.
"Damn this box. Damn that doll. And damn you, girl!" Kael shouted.
"Had he never met you, we'd have killed that bastard by now and—"
"Stop it, Kael," came a whisper—weak, but unmistakably Vardant's.
"Oh, don't you dare try to defend her." Kael turned, rage in his eyes.
"This girl is a witch. I'm throwing her out!"
"You don't understand…" Vardant coughed, spitting blood.
"Stop talking! Don't move!" Kael shouted back, rifling through supplies.
"Girl, get out! Take your cursed doll and leave! That's the only mercy you'll get from me."
Eira stood frozen. Her heart pounded. Her legs shook. Tears welled in her eyes. Guilt. Fear. Helplessness.
She turned and stepped closer to Vardant.
"Get away from him!" Kael bellowed.
"Your very presence makes my blood boil!"
"It's not her fault," Vardant said in a hoarse, low voice.
"Then whose is it? Who brought in this cursed box, shattered all our plans?"
"I'm sorry…" Eira sobbed. "I'll leave."
"You better," Kael growled.
"Take your curses with you. You were meant to be alone. No wonder your mistress beat you. I bet even your 'Ma' thought of you as a burden. And your parents? Died a strange death, didn't they? I'll tell you what—after giving birth to a thing like you, maybe they chose to die—"
"Kael!" Eira screamed.
"What—"
Kael's eyes widened. Vardant was in the air, leaping toward him, a fist drawn back like a hammer.
Kael froze. A chill shot down his spine. At the last second, he twisted aside.
The fist missed his face—barely.
But it struck the cave wall.
An orange flash. A shockwave.
The entire back wall exploded.
Stone melted. A blazing trench carved into the sand. The inselerg was gone. The cave glowed from the heat of destruction.
"Sometimes, you say too much," Vardant muttered, glancing back at Kael.
Kael was on the ground, trembling. His whole body shook as the weight of what had just happened hit him. He couldn't stop thinking—what if that fist hadn't missed? What if Eira hadn't screamed in time? What if he hadn't dodged?
Eira stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat. Her heart had skipped a beat the moment the cave exploded.
Silence fell.
Only the cool night wind whispered through the shattered opening in the rock. The pale moonlight streamed in, casting silver beams that danced across what little remained of the cave.
Vardant walked over to Kael and extended his hand. "You owe her your life," he said softly. "And more than that… an apology."
Kael's body was still trembling. The only word he could manage was a whisper: "Monster."
"Hey, don't call me that. I've hit you many times before," Vardant replied with a sheepish grin. "This one just… had a bit more weight."
Eira stared at them, still trying to make sense of it all. "Is this the power of the doll?" she murmured.
"It seems so," Vardant said, flexing his hand. "And I like it."
"You shattered a whole wall of rock with one punch," Kael said, still dazed.
"Come on, I didn't know that would happen," Vardant replied. "And besides, you always say things that make me angry. This time… maybe I got a bit carried away."
"Carried away? You obliterated my cave!"
"Don't worry," Vardant said, flashing a grin. "I have an idea."
Kael stayed silent. His quietness almost seemed like encouragement.
Vardant's grin widened. "Do you think Halsa could take a punch like that?"
Kael's eyes shot open. The fog in his mind lifted, and for the first time, he realized the true magnitude of the power they had just awakened. A slow smile spread across his face; his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Are we really going to—?"
"The plan was already set," Vardant said. "We know where to infiltrate and where to strike. Before, we relied on the ignis bloom—we'd throw it from a distance. But this time… I'll go in directly. I want to see his face when it lands. It'll be far more satisfying."
Kael turned to Eira. He stopped in front of her and spoke with quiet sincerity.
"I hope you didn't take my words to heart. And… thank you. If you hadn't warned me, this idiot would've blown my brains out."
Eira nodded, her voice soft. "You cared for your friend. Anyone would've been angry if he got hurt because of someone else. So… can I stay? Just for a while?"
"No," Kael said flatly.
Eira's expression fell, confused and hurt. But before she could respond, Kael added, "Because we're leaving. Right now. Halsa's party is wrapping up, and he's probably starting that ridiculous fire show of his. We can't afford to wait anymore. Besides… this cave's barely a cave now."
"But… I don't even know your plan. I might slow you down," Eira said.
"Heh. If the plan works," Vardant chimed in, "we won't be coming back here. We'll be fleeing the whole city."
"Come," Kael said. "We'll explain on the way. If you think you can help, join us in the palace. If not, we'll tell you where to wait."
Eira nodded slowly.
The three of them gathered what they could. Eira placed the doll carefully back into its box. The crimson eye had given Vardant incredible power, but there were two eyes. She wondered what the second one might do.
Once packed and ready, the three stepped out beneath the moonlight, its glow casting long shadows over the sand.
Vardant raised his hand toward the horizon.
"Tonight… we take down Halsa."