Yuri stood calmly in front of the door when, suddenly, a loud noise was heard from inside.

  "What happened?" Yuri shouted as he burst into the room.

  The scene before him offered no immediate explanation, nor any signs of danger. Haran was fully clothed and cradled his son in one arm, gently rocking the baby as he cried.

  "I’m sorry, Yuri," Haran said. "I was clumsy and knocked over the hot cauldron. I shouted out in pain. I didn’t mean to frighten you or my son." His other hand was red and raw from the burn. He rested in the cool water of the cold cauldron. "Please, give me a few minutes. The cold is helping."

  Yuri’s shoulders relaxed, and he exhaled in relief. "It’s... It’s no trouble," he said softly.

  After a few minutes, they began the quiet trek back to the cabin.

  "I think we should start with an explanation of what brought you to our village," Adel said, initiating his conversation with Haran the next day. Adel was far more serious. There was no trace of the cheerfulness he had displayed before.

  "A few years ago, my wife and I became adventurers," Haran began, but Adel was taken aback by that statement and interrupted him immediately.

  "Why would city folk be interested in becoming adventurers? For anyone, that is usually a death sentence. I only know of people who desire coins to take such a role. You could have served your city through military service."

  Haran smiled faintly. "You are right, we could have joined the military. But you are wrong about who joins the adventurers. More and more city folk do. It’s not just about the coins, it is also about the adrenaline rush, about traveling the lands, making legends of your feats."

  "Hmmph, our village has always been very conservative on this matter. Adventurers, while useful as hired soldiers, owe loyalty to the highest bidder. And I couldn’t even imagine myself giving a quest to a person from the city. In any other scenario that would mean my death," Adel replied coldly.

  "While people join for the thrill of an adventure, our goal was different. My wife and I shared a fascination with soul crystals. She was a medic and I served in a special unit of the church. We were captivated by the possibilities, watching how even powders from these crystals worked. We dreamed of what humanity could achieve by harnessing the raw power of pure and soul crystals."

  Adel’s face darkened, and Haran could see the judgment forming in his eyes.

  "Haran, you know as well as I do that these crystals are seen as a point of conflict between city folk and the villagers," Adel said with the tone of his voice carrying heavy disapproval.

  Haran sensed the argument might get heated, so he rebutted. "You’ve offered me your hospitality, Adel. In return, I’ll offer you the truth, whether it pleases you or not. The past is immutable. May I continue?"

  Adel gave a reluctant nod.

  "We joined a guild in the city. At first, it was nearly impossible to find adventurers willing to search for pure and soul crystals. Tainted crystals are common, and the cities usually have miners for those. Pure crystals require rare conditions, but they can also be found within the mines. But soul crystals? They often demand chasing myths. Cycles can pass before finding a single crystal, let alone reaping its rewards. And then there are the users of these crystals."

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  "Blasphemy," Adel interrupted. His face and voice showed a noticeable coldness.

  "Adel, the church hides many secrets about these crystals. But it’s undeniable that cities wouldn’t be what they are without drawing magic from their energy."

  "And the cost, Haran? What of that?" Adel’s tone grew sharper. "The church has cities under its thumb, and people have forsaken nature. They twist and break natural laws for their convenience, rushing processes that were never meant to be hurried. And the cost? It’s ignored, swept aside. The fortresses rise, and no one looks at what happens beyond the walls. And when even the ground no longer suffices, you take to the skies, but even the skies betray you now, don’t they?"

  Adel’s criticisms came one after another, but Haran stopped him abruptly.

  "The cost is too high," Haran said. He took a painful sigh. "I wish I had known that before I paid it."

  Adel’s posture suddenly softened. He didn't expect that answer.

  "My apologies," Adel said with his tone of voice returning to normal. "Age has made me brash. I’ve seen too much. I leapt into this conversation expecting you to be another preacher extolling the virtues of those cursed crystals."

  "To you and to me they are indeed curses," Haran said bitterly. "To others, it is a matter of perspective. Those who follow the church’s doctrines claim that the crystals bring progress and that, each day, their methods yield discoveries that push humanity forward. Others who dare to use pure or soul crystals seek to push the limits of what a human body can endure and what a mind can achieve."

  Haran leaned forward, his voice dropping, "But Adel, the Creators didn’t give us these crystals as a curse. We turned them into one."

  Adel shook his head. "I don’t want to have this debate with you today, Haran. But from your story, I assume that things have gone too far. Please, continue. You left off at finding allies."

  "Yes, and we eventually came across a team of adventurers. Their goal wasn’t directly to sell the crystals. Alongside the standard jobs posted by the guild, they also followed rumors, hoping to find and keep the crystals for themselves. In Rohana’s history, many have dreamed of combining multiple crystals to become as powerful as Rohai. The members of my party had the same idea."

  Adel’s grabbed his head. "Sometimes fantasies are best left as they are. People dream of usurping the gods, and then they act surprised when gods strike them down." The idea of such endeavors clearly brought him pain.

  "Adel, let me ask you something. Have you ever activated a soul crystal?" Haran asked quietly.

  Adel, caught off guard, shook his head in response. But Haran noticed that the old man's body twitched for a second, as if the question startled him. But he chose to ignore it and continued.

  "The first crystal you activate brings whispers. They are faint, but as long as you hold them, they are persistent. When you have two, the whispers grow louder. It is like there are people in a room with you, but you can't see them. With three come hallucinations, bringing awful visions you cannot escape. And with four, you start to lose yourself. You start to lose touch with reality. What happens beyond that?" Haran paused. His expression changed as the trauma started to emerge. "I don’t know. Even obtaining that information came with a high cost, and stirred problems with the church noticing our investigations. But Rohai... Rohai carries seven of them. Seven spikes are embedded in his staff. The church would see me executed for even questioning what kind of burden he endured. Is he even a human being? They claim he is and has been rewarded by the creators for all the suffering. They have the ceremonies every few decades to elect a new one when the old one dies. But Adel, I think they are lying."

  Adel exhaled deeply. "Haran, I don’t doubt they hide much. Our ancestors abandoned the cities because they saw what you describe. We feel the citizens are eroding. We chose this path so we don't end up the same."

  He then reached into his coat and pulled out a flask, its metal glinting faintly in the light. He poured two mugs of mead and passed the second mug to Haran. Adel took a sip and then asked coldly.

  "Are you saying that you have activated four crystals?"