The participants of this meeting did not hide the shock on their faces. Only Ashiya smiled gently, narrowing his eyes.

  “Excuse me?” Seyre blurted out with a twisted face.

  “Yes! “ Kiyeri shouted happily, “Inexplicable things are happening at home. You understand that we cannot just return like this, we do not know what kind of trouble we will get into. First, we need to gather as much information as possible. Over the past year, Ashiya and I have visited all the Temples hoping to find clues to what happened during the ritual, but our search was fruitless. The Southern Metal Temple was the last, but it is also a dead end, so what do we do next? We can travel to where all the roots lie.”

  “Ah yes!“ Seyre jumped lightly in his chair. “The Solarians! They were the first to create the whole process, if anyone knows more, it‘s only them.”

  "That's right." Kiyeri nodded. "They're celebrating the harvest this week, since this town is right on the border, it's natural to see a mix of cultures. Solarians and their soldiers often come here to party, for those who live on the border, our town is closer than their larger one, and the festivities here are always lavish. With such a large crowd, we're sure to find someone to talk with."

  The three old/new friends seemed pleased with how the conversation was going, but Ashiya wasn't. He didn't like the whole situation and he didn't even try to hide it.

  Suddenly, Seyre turned to Kiyeri in a friendly voice, "Kiyeri, what exactly happened during the Sigil transfer? We've heard many rumors, Ashiya was running around looking for help when you were locked up, assuring us that you were innocent, but I want to hear it directly from you."

  Kiyeri studied the faces of everyone at the table for a few moments, then smiled, "I don't know."

  "You don't know...?" Seyre asked in surprise.

  "I really don't!" Kiyeri assured. "When Zeni and I were standing near the Celestial Stone, clearing our thoughts, everything seemed normal, but when it was my turn to bow to the Stone, one of the priests suddenly grabbed the Millennium dagger from the altar and stuck it into the Stone in front of my eyes. I just managed to get stupidly worried that the dagger would break, when suddenly we all fell to the floor. When I woke up, Zeni was in pain, and all the priests were dead. I carried Zeni from there to the medical corps and only when I was there did I realize that neither he nor I had a Sigil, I was wearing this instead."

  Kiyeri unfolded his lapels, showing an empty circle on his chest. "When Zeni recovered, I was accused of murder and treason, then thrown into the dungeon for interrogation. When the priest stuck that dagger, Zeni was facing the back, getting ready for handover, so I alone saw what happened."

  Three of the five participants at the table hung their heads and looked deep in thought, while the fourth watched them with a blank face. Kiyeri looked around and continued, "The plan is this. You all blend into the crowd and look for the Sun Warriors. I'll go to the Temple. Seyre, when you find someone, get them to come and talk to me. The whole incident was nicely covered up at home, so they shouldn't suspect anything, then let me talk."

  The group stood up from the table while Seyre and Kiyeri discussed and compared stories. Dali pulled a few silver coins from his pouch and paid for the snacks.

  “Does Kiye need an escort?” Ashiya asked, tugging at Kiyeri’s tunic sleeve, apparently wanting to discuss what had happened separately. Immediately after that Dali let out a loud “Aaahhh” and rolled his eyes demonstratively.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ashiya shot him, unable to tolerate such a grimace.

  "Nothing, your address just makes me want to vomit." Dali was always a fan of gesticulating, every other of his words was accompanied by hand gestures, now to the left, now to the right, now raising both hands to the sky or poking his finger at the opponent. The image drove Kiyeri to despair, he wanted to remind Dali about what noble manners should be, but again he was forced to restrain himself. Dali continued to gesture in front of Ashiya's nose "You. You can address him simply YOU. You can address him by name. Like a NORMAL person"

  Ashiya spluttered "It's none of your business, YOU wouldn't even understand."

  Seeing the conflict approaching again, Kiyeri began to wave his hands "Enough, enough, let's not waste time, just one last question, did the Solar delegation visit you after all the events?"

  "No, we didn't invite and didn't explain anything, and they didn't ask."- Seyre answered.

  "Then I need cover. If one of the Solarians here is a Bearer, she will want to see our Sigils, I can't show this until we know what it means. Ashi, you will come with me. We will meet the others at the Temple." Kiyeri instructed the group one last time and waved his hand for the young man to follow him back to the room.

  "Who knows what he will do to them without supervision" Kiyeri frowned thoughtfully.

  The group quickly split into two.

  Returning to the room, Kiyeri sat down on the bed, Ashiya closed the door behind him: "What cover?" he asked in a restless tone.

  Kiyeri explained "I need a lattice symbolizing Metal in my Sigil circle. Do you still remember what it looks like? I can draw it if you..."

  "And how will I have to make it?" Ashiya interrupted him rudely.

  "Burn it, of course. It will be almost indistinguishable from the real thing." Kiyeri answered.

  "Whaaaaat?!", the young man was already starting to lose his mind.

  Kiyeri got up from the bed annoyed "What kind of question is this? I just explained everything to everyone. Act properly. Either you're in or out, make up your mind! Do you think I don't know what's going on in that head of yours??" As soon as those words left Kiyeri's lips, his heart froze, and fell to his heels without knowing why.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Ashiya covered his eyes with one hand, supporting his other hand on his side, tilting his head to the side, he started giggling "Make up my mind... Kiye wants ME to make up my mind... Kiye knows PERFECTLY WELL what's going on in my head."

  Kiyeri realized that the conversation had taken a wrong turn, but he didn't know what to do next, so he just looked stubbornly at that young man.

  Ashiya lowered his hands and met his gaze, "Kiye, you always act like you understand everyone's feelings, but that's not true, you only understand MOTIVES and that's not the same. In fact, you don't even understand yourself! Ask yourself what you're feeling right now. Not how you should feel, but what you really feel? Are you angry? Sad? Offended? Or are you happy right now? I look into your eyes and I understand, but do you understand yourself? You always talking about things the way they SHOULD be... But who gave you those instructions?"

  Ashiya paused as if waiting for an answer. For Kiyeri, that gaze of his seemed to hurt somewhere in his chest and he remembered Lorena's words, wondering if she had seen these eyes in the young man. Carefully he tried to answer, "It all depends on the situation."

  Ashiya widened his eyes, "Situation?! Emotions don't need to be analyzed, they need to be FELT." He paced around the room, “Since you like to analyze so much, ask yourself this. Why didn't you leave such a complicated me somewhere on a trip, even though there were so many opportunities? Why do you rush to me to share your joy when you notice something interesting? Why do you always keep me at arm's length? Why does the slightest contact cause YOU to panic? And WHO THE HELL prevented me from talking to you as an equal or at least addressing YOU?"

  Kiyeri didn't answer anything, there was nothing to answer, he could only lower his eyes. The young man waited a little longer, but then slowly walked towards the door, paused before opening it, then added, "I don't need an answer, I want you to answer to yourself first. You constantly remind me of all those events, you expect the worst from me and yes, I did them, I'm guilty. You always find less cruel solutions, but if you didn't find one if you were in my place, would you have done the same for me?" Ashiya left.

  Kiyeri fell cross on the bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to move. "It's like I've spent my whole life building a home, only to have it fall apart. Now that I'm trying to put it back together and start over - you come and say that it‘s not a house, but a cage?" Kiyeri laughed at himself and the whole situation, "We can still go home and get everything back, just the way it was, Ashi, why are you so stupid..."

  After laying like this for a minute, he jumped out of bed resolutely and walked out the door towards the Temple.

  The Temple of the Metal stood on the outskirts of the town, half an hour's walk from their inn. Two identically dressed young men walked through the crowd, one in front, the other slightly behind, chasing. Their appearance attracted the attention of those around them.

  Every boy and girl in this country dreamed of becoming a Bearer of the Sigil, it was the greatest honor. Such dreamers trained and strengthened their bodies from a young age, purified their souls through meditation, carefully chose what and how much they ate, avoided any intoxicants or hallucinogenic plants, never cut their hair symbolizing the flow of energy, and did not wear tattoos. They rose early and went to bed early, observing strict discipline. So, these young people grew up beautifully. For a child of noble birth, such a lifestyle was easily achievable, the hardest part was resisting temptation when everything that was fun was within reach, but you couldn't take it. But for an ordinary citizen, it's a different story: to survive, you need to work, and working won't achieve your dreams.

  Kiyeri was lucky, although poor, his mother worked in the palace and shared this dream with her son. She worked hard day and night to provide for them both and give him the opportunity to study. At sixteen, he proved his talents in the mana manipulation exam. At eighteen, he joined the army, where despite obstacles and sabotage, he only proved his worth once again. At twenty-one, he received the title of Master, becoming the youngest in the history of the Kingdom, and was finally recognized as a candidate for the Sigil. Finally, having let his mother go on a well-deserved rest, his salary was enough for both of them, and still left, he firmly stepped towards their dream together. Last year, he learned that he was invited to take over the metal mark.

  No one could have known that the most important day in his life would turn into a nightmare and all the honor and merit he had accumulated would be swept away in one fell swoop. The dream had become a curse, but when you put in so much work, you can’t just give up, even after such a setback.

  As they walked like this, the two of them didn’t speak for a short distance. The tension and stale air between them could be cut with a knife. The awkward conversation would probably change their communication forever, but there was still a lot of work ahead and they had to start talking. Kiyeri gathered his courage and came closer, walking shoulder to shoulder with Ashiya, “So, why are you wearing makeup?”

  “Eyeliner isn’t makeup, Kiye.” Ashiya cooperated and replied.

  "Ah yes, yes, for you nobles, it's the same as combing your hair. After years of living in the slums dressed in rags, you must have missed your old habits. Did Dali give you money for clothes?" As he finished speaking, Kiyeri turned his head to the side, but it was empty. Turning behind him, he saw Ashiya, his head down, standing still, left behind a few steps away. "Ashiya...?"

  “I don't miss it. I got the money from selling those berries. This year we spent together…” Ashiya struggled to find words, “I understand that I crossed the line before. I’m sorry.”

  “H-O-W on earth did we end up back on the same topic?!” Kiyeri screamed in his mind, then waved his hand at Ashiya, “Come on, we don’t have time.”

  Soon after, they saw a temple at the end of the street, and during the day Kiyeri could get a better look.

  All five Temples in the kingdom were magnificent and extremely large, one of which could accommodate all the people of a medium-sized village and still have room left. Three thousand people could sit in circles of four and drink tea.

  Legend has it that several thousand years ago, the continent was shaken by stones falling from the sky. When the dust settled, a tribe from the south was the first to move to these lands. Noticing the unusually fertile flora and fauna, covering large areas, in the center of which were huge craters with glowing stones buried in them, they decided to settle there, thus establishing the first settlements. Soon after, a tribe from the north arrived and did the same nearby.

  The southern tribe was much superior in spiritual culture, every person, big or small, old or young, knew what manna was, and some of the talented and disciplined knew how to apply it in everyday life. Over time, the tribe unraveled the secrets of the stones and, having mastered this knowledge, their power grew tenfold.

  On the other hand, the northern tribe did not know what manna was. They settled nearby only because of the fertile land, but everyone was very skilled. Here, big and small, old and young knew how to build a reliable hut, how to use animal fur to their advantage, and how to extract and process metal.

  Both tribes lived in amicable relations, sharing the land, and over time they began to share knowledge. One had what the other needed and vice versa. Although they learned from each other, cultural differences did not disappear, thus forming individual customs for their tribes. Generations changed and over time the tribes became kingdoms - in the south the Sun, in the north the Moon. Although everything happened over several thousand years, both peoples always found common ground in the end, like brother and sister, never turning their backs on each other for ages.