Helen was watching him carefully as Everin debated about following after Veldrix or waiting for them to return on their own. When he finally sat, he asked her, “Why aren’t you going after them? After everything you did—”

  “What exactly did my sibling tell you about our past?” she interjected, that overpowering aura pressing in around him again as she added, “V’s apparently been lying to me for centuries, so I’d appreciate a little honesty right now.”

  His nose scrunched at the accusation that made him feel defensive despite not being the one called a liar. “It’s hard for me to believe anyone, especially an Obsidian Caster, couldn’t tell when someone else lied to them about being abused for that long.”

  The look on her face was probably a match for his own as it soured, “Veldrix is special—”

  “I already know that.”

  “No, I mean, they have a Talent that hides their emotions. It’s why they do so well as a knight and executioner, but it makes it almost impossible for anyone to know if their words don’t match their expression.”

  That did explain a few things for Everin, but he had just chalked it up to an insane amount of self-control honed over the years at court, much like his own. He couldn’t keep his aura hidden from an Obsidian like her, but it would normally take a focused prodding for someone just a Caste above him to dig out his own motives.

  With a sigh, Everin recounted not only what Veldrix had told him about Helen and their deal with the royals in exchange for her pardon but also what he had learned from the people living in the Garnet District of Blomstra. How the people there felt safe because they knew Veldrix was watching over them. How the royals would often try to separate them by requiring Veldrix’s presence on holidays or other special occasions they became aware of. How the queen would force Veldrix to escort her through the district once a year for an inspection where she would speak subtle threats against any who might rebel or displease her, making it very obvious that they would be punished should Veldrix not kneel before her.

  “I spent more time with them on Winter’s Break than Vel did, and the royals kept them on ‘night duty’ the entire week. Vel has a home that they never get to live in. Have you seriously been completely blind to this? Veldrix mentioned you visited them,” he asked, leaving out the jab that he knew it was to ask for help repaying a debt.

  She continued frowning at him like she had for most of his story but replied, “Every time I visited, the royals simply treated me as an unwelcome dignitary. They wouldn’t outright bar me since I’m a Saint, especially after I ascended to Obsidian. Aino never came with me so I wouldn’t stay for long. I was always able to spend the whole time there with V, though. They never said they were unhappy. Any time I’d suggest they quit being a knight and leave that place, they just said they wouldn’t abandon their duties. I just thought they were still obsessed with that knight persona they’ve clung to since we were kids.”

  “And now?” Everin hopefully prodded.

  She leaned back and looked at him contemplatively before asking, “What about you, little Avatar? You said you met V only a few months ago, and yet you seem like you’re ready to go to war for them. Do you love them or are you just dumber than the average Scholar Disciple?”

  “What?”

  “Point towards dumber,” she said more to herself before adding, “Not only did you yell at V, a peak Ruby Caster who’s already taken a step into Obsidian, but you’ve been hostile toward me since I first walked in here, and I could kill you before you could finish blinking. So either you’re an adorable dumb little fox that forgot that fact, or you love V so much that you’re willing to court death.”

  Everin’s mouth hung open for a moment before narrowing his eyes and saying, “I feel like there should be something in between those two options…”

  Helen snorted a laugh. “Then explain to me why you felt so obligated to defy V? They obviously didn’t ask you to intervene.”

  He felt his fists clench. “Because what’s happening to Veldrix is wrong. Why is that so hard for you and them to understand? Are you planning to just let it continue now that you know what’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure it matters what I want in this case. If V wanted me to help, they should have told me sooner. Why else would they lie to me and let me believe everything was fine for so long?”

  “Because they…” Everin trailed off, unsure of how to explain what he so clearly saw. Thinking back to all of their time together, the gentle smiles, the patient gazes, the subtle teases that hinted but never pushed, the thousands of familial bonds waiting for Vel in Blomstra belonging to people they had rescued and helped raise without asking for anything in return.

  “Because Veldrix is too kind…”

  Helen raised an eyebrow in question and he expounded, “They are kind to everyone else except their own self. Unless someone else sees that and helps replenish and support them, they’ll give everything they have for others until there’s nothing left to give. They’ve been a silent lone hero to others for so long, that they don’t know how to save theirself.”

  She watched him silently for a long moment before asking, “Are you planning to save them? Even if they don’t want it? Even if V ends up hating you for it?”

  Everin snorted a laugh. “I’ve done it once before for a stubborn Paladin who tried dying on me. He probably will hate me for it once he wakes up.”

  “Why do it then?”

  He paused for a moment, contemplating the question before answering. “Because it’s the right thing to do… Because Veldrix is worth falling for.”

  Helen finally smiled at him. “Glad to hear you’ll be coming with me then when I displace those royals from their glittering throne of lies.”

  Everin took a second to process those words before grinning as well. “What kind of Rebel’s Avatar would I be if I didn’t? I warned Vel that I would drag you back to start a rebellion there.”

  She laughed. “I’m starting to think V always hoped you would.”

  “Oh my gods, I’m so jealous. Can I get a tiny matching one?” Tala mentally asked her as the tiny bird sat on one of Uriel’s shoulders while Ren took the opposite one. She wasn’t entirely sure why they both wanted to be on him at the moment, but he seemed slightly happier for it so she wasn’t going to say anything.

  Phoenix looked back into the hand mirror she held to see the sparkly silver tiara sitting atop her curls. It had a large purple gem in the center, and some smaller blue and black ones trailing along the taped sides that tucked into her hair. “You’ll have to beg those two for one. I have no idea where they got it from,” she silently replied before asking the men aloud, “So, the bag definitely counts as your Winter’s Break gift.”

  Uriel snorted a laugh, “While I won’t say the tiara was cheap, I don’t think it’s quite equivalent to the bag but I might let it slide this time. I just don’t want it becoming a habit. I’m not either of your responsibility and can take care of myself.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  She nodded in understanding as she conjured her book to look at the actual stats of her new crown and see if she could get away with not wearing it everywhere.

  “You just had to make it useful for combat, didn’t you?” she grumbled, realizing she would be wearing this a lot in the future.

  Dazien grinned. “Of course. I was able to convince Emissary Mint to get me in touch with one of his people who could specifically do the attunements. It’s practically impossible to find Void crafters, but the Starfall themselves seem to have the [Space Attunement] that gives Dimension and Void as a common species Talent, like my [Treasure Attunement] that gives Gem and Metal, or Uriel’s [Molten Attunement] that gives Earth and Fire.”

  “I thought Talents weren’t guaranteed through heritage, though?”

  “They’re not,” Uriel interjected, “The Moonsong Voxen normally have some kind of Ice Attunement, but Everin doesn’t have it. When I asked him if he somehow deviated that Talent—which is normally very difficult to do for Attunements specifically—he said he was one of the few unlucky ones to be born without it.”

  “You should definitely wear that everywhere,” Dazien interjected, still grinning as he watched her hair moving without getting into her face. “This will also let you wear it down more often. I know you prefer that over the braid.”

  “The braid was practical for fighting,” she muttered, but couldn’t disagree, she liked her wild curls.

  “Well, now your crown is practical,” he happily replied, then glanced over to Uriel while asking her, “Should we give Uriel his other gift now? From the whole of House Wayland as congratulations for ascending?”

  Phoenix matched his grin, “I actually got one for him myself while he was asleep. I wasn’t sure at the time when we would find you and you had all of them in your [Armory], including the box one that you mentioned.”

  “Box one?” Uriel prompted in confusion. “I’m assuming you’re talking about that bag of Spirit Gems Patricia gave Daze but what do you mean by—”

  “Just wait here!” Dazien interjected before vanishing into his dimensional space again.

  Phoenix took the time to move across the small divide to sit on the other bed beside Uriel. He tensed when she took his hand but didn’t flinch away this time. As he slowly relaxed he whispered, “I—I’m grateful for you, Phoenix. I’m sure it seems like the opposite a lot of times, but I’m grateful that you stay beside me even though… well, even when you probably shouldn’t.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder, understanding that mixture of emotions he was describing, “I thought… Well, I still think the same thing a lot of times. Every time I make a mistake… get someone hurt or unintentionally help a monster destroy a ship… I end up grateful that you and the others still stay with me.”

  He squeezed her hand and was about to respond when Dazien reappeared holding a pouch.

  “Here we go,” he said, sitting on the opposite side of Uriel from her. “She tied little labels to each for us, but we can verify them with Phoenix’s book.”

  “First is mine though,” she interjected, holding out her palm as a small Spirit Gem appeared upon it in a shimmer of silver starlight, “You don’t have to use it obviously, but I got you the Friendship Spirit Gem.”

  Phoenix smiled up at him as she added, “I saw it and instantly thought of you. Plus, I figured you would like something with less chance of causing more destruction… even if it’s not the best choice for monster slaying.”

  The smile Uriel gave her made the gem worth every single Bit, which she would definitely be lying about if he asked how many she spent on it.

  “Thank you, Phoenix. It’s perfect and I’ll definitely use it.”

  “Alright, I didn’t get you a Spirit Gem since I knew you had all these waiting but you should open this one next,” Dazien said, pulling out a small black box tied with a black cord. When Uriel looked at it in confusion, Daze added, “It’s from Paul. Pati said he picked them all out at the same time and wrote the notes before going to fight the Soul Reapers. We can leave you alone to read it if you want.”

  “No, I’d rather you both stay. I—” Uriel hesitated, looking at the box like it might bite him, “I’m not sure—” he looked down at his lap as he regretfully tried to explain, “I don’t think I deserve that. The last time Paul and I actually talked to one another was in anger. An argument that was left unfinished because I didn’t agree with how he was treating Phoenix… I’m not sure if those words were written before or after that… or if he truly wanted me to have that after the way I yelled at him.”

  Phoenix and Dazien were both silent for a moment as they realized the weight of guilt Uriel had been carrying of his last moments alone with Paul, who had fallen to protect all of them.

  “I think he would have,” Phoenix finally said, “We had our own share of arguments, but I never really doubted that he cared about me, or any of us really. If he loved me and Daze enough to adopt us and call us his family, I have no doubt that he accepted your place as my friend and Daze’s partner. He never tried to separate us like Pati did… he trusted you.”

  Dazien lifted the small box again in silent urging as he said, “You won’t know until you read it for yourself.”

  Uriel heavily sighed, but carefully took the box and began to open it. The gem inside was a warm golden color with little flecks of rainbow colors, and Uriel hesitantly plucked the folded paper from within to unfold.

  She and Daze both leaned closer to read Paul’s neat script beside him.

  Uriel,

  I know we left things in an unstable place between us, and if you’re reading this version of my note then I’m most likely dead now. I’m sorry for that. I’m also sorry that I didn’t take the time after finding you all those years ago to check on how you were doing. So often I rescue people from terrible circumstances, but I never really gave a thought to how their life turned out after I changed it so dramatically… unless they force themselves into my own like Jerem did.

  I wonder if things might have been different for both you and Dazien if I had taken that time to show more care in what happened to you after I left you to Priestess Anna. Would Dazien have talked his way into my heart still? Would you have been less afraid of me? Would I have been able to convince you that you are worth just as much as him and Phoenix are?

  I know I’m not your father, like you said, and I know I will never fill that role in your life, but you are still an important part of my family. From the moment I first met Dazien and he tried to save you from my wrath, I knew he would be willing to die for you. It’s another reason why I’m willing to do the same… why I probably did.

  I originally picked out this Spirit Gem of Alliance because I wanted you to know that we were united by our mutual caring for Dazien. That I never wanted to be an enemy to you. After you stood up for Phoenix, I know now that we are already allies that only wish to protect both of them.

  If you’re reading this because I’m dead and can’t be there to say this all in person, then I want you to know that I still believe we are allies and I trust you to protect them in my place.

  I know you will be their Shield when the world tries to break them.

  Your eternal ally,

  Paul

  Molten tears were silently falling down Uriel’s cheeks when she managed to look up again at him and he muttered, “How does a man who barely speaks in complete sentences manage to write something like this?”

  Phoenix chuckled, actually knowing the answer to this one. “I’ve been slowly making my way through his old journals. Apparently, he’s been writing them since he was fifteen and eventually got into poetry.”

  All of them turned to look at her, and Dazien clarified, “Poetry? Like the flowery rhyming kind? The Blade of Pure Wrath was secretly a poet?” She thought it was funny how Dazien’s incredulity just seemed to increase with every word. When she nodded, he instantly asked, “Can we read it? Was it as good as these letters that turn us into messy balls of tears?”

  Phoenix snorted. “No. The stuff he wrote as an apparently horny teenager was absolutely terrible.”

  Dazien’s grin turned wicked then as he said, “Well, now we definitely need to read it just so we can tease him about it when he wakes up from not actually being dead.”

  She and Uriel laughed at the idea, but fell into a comfortable silence again as she watched Uriel reread the heartfelt letter from the man he had thought hated him. The man she was proud to call her dad.