The blue stone sitting there on the table, like any other item, gave off a mysterious feeling, as if beckoning Cairon to hold it. Cairon stretched his hand toward it. The closer his hand got to the stone, the more he felt a coldness emanating from it.
TICK, TICK.
Suddenly he heard something small hitting the window.
Coming out of his daze, Cairon looked toward the window. It was the signal he had set with Vynn. Apparently someone had come to the mansion.
Putting his leather gloves on, he opened his bag and threw a few of the relics inside, including the blue stone. Then he rushed to the window, opened it, and hung from the frame, fluidly descending.
Then he ran towards Vynn, his steps light and soundless. As he reached Vynn, he stopped.
"Two new Coilbloods came. As soon as I saw them, I thought you had set off a trap or something. They ran inside just as they saw the two fallen guards."
"You did good. Thanks, Vynn."
"Let's head back to the base."
They climbed on top of a crate that was to the side of the wall and went onto the roofs. As Vynn followed behind him and they ran towards the base, Cairon kept thinking.
What was with that stone? I have to ask Ignis about it. It gave off a similar feeling as when I focus to use my new powers.
Looking back at Vynn following behind him, he asked,
"I want to pick up the speed. Can you follow?"
Vynn replied,
"Yes. Let's do it."
....
After around ten minutes, they reached the base.
Going into the main room, he saw Marek sitting on a chair, crouching in front of a tied Ignis, bound by the Ironbind, closely watching over him.
"Oh, you're back, Cai. That was fast. So, what's the result?"
Marek asked while looking their way and sighing in relief.
Cairon taking the Aetherbind out of the bag, replied,
"I got it. He he wasn't lying . This device was there, but I don't know if it does what he says it does," Cairon said.
"Then how the hell are we supposed to know whether it's working or he's faking it?"
Marek said skeptically.
"Actually, while going to his house, I tried using my powers, trying to once again feel like I did when they got activated before."
Cai continued,
"And it actually worked. I could hear the guards like they were right next to me."
Ignis hearing Cairon , smiled.
"Attaboy. I knew you had talent the moment I saw you," Ignis remarked.
"Also, I never lie."
"Apparently not, but you do mislead people. You nitpick what to say.", Cairon replied.
Ignis snickered.
Marek, while in thought, continued,
"So you want us first to try it on you, and if it works, use it on this old man, correct?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I had in mind."
Cairon affirmed.
"This might be something else. It can be dangerous."
Marek was worried about Cairon.
"It's fine. There's no other way anyways."
Cairon said.
"Alright," Marek agreed.
"Um, sorry…"
Vynn suddenly spoke.
"What the hell is happening?"
"What do you mean, powers?"
Vynn was completely surprised.
"Oh, we didn't tell him, did we?"
Marek scratched his nose.
"We'll talk about it later."
Vynn stared at them, clearly confused, but before he could say anything else, Cairon stepped forward.
"Put it on me first."
Marek took the Aetherbind and fastened it around Cairon's wrist.
The device gave off a faint metallic sound as it locked into place.
Then it started working , the gears locking into each other and turning , as if it started breathing through the 4 holes it had.
Cairon looked at it for a moment before closing his eyes.
He tried to focus.
He remembered the feeling from before, the strange sensation of something moving inside him, something he still didn't understand.
Nothing happened.
He concentrated harder.
Still nothing.
He tried once more, focusing on his breathing and trying to reach for that same feeling.
Nothing.
Cairon opened his eyes.
Marek was watching him closely.
"Well?"
"I don't feel any different."
Cairon looked down at the Aetherbind.
"But even when I try to focus on it, the power doesn't trigger."
Marek nodded slowly.
"So it works."
"Yeah."
Cairon looked towards Ignis.
"We can use it on this guy."
Marek frowned.
"You're sure?"
"If he does anything, we can just jump him."
Cairon looked at Ignis for a moment.
"I really need him to teach me how to control my power. This is not something I know."
He paused.
"And he seems friendly enough."
Vynn looked at Ignis.
"Friendly?"
Ignis smiled at him.
Vynn immediately looked away.
Cairon continued,
"My gut feeling is telling me he's not going to hurt us."
He paused again.
"At least, I hope so."
Marek stared at him.
Cairon shrugged.
"But I don't have any other option. I'll just take the risk, and all the responsibility is on me."
Marek sighed.
"Alright."
He removed the Aetherbind from Cairon's wrist.
Then he put it around Ignis's wrist.
Everyone watched carefully as Marek reached down and removed the Ironbind.
The restraints released.
Ignis slowly stood up.
Everyone was ready to jump on him if he did anything.
"Don't do anything foolish," Marek warned.
Ignis looked around at everyone.
"Don't worry. Relaaax, everyone."
He raised his hands slightly.
"I told you, I never lie."
The Aetherbind gave off a faint metallic hum.
Ignis looked down at his wrist.
"This stupid wristband works."
He grimaced.
"And damn it, it's a bad feeling. I can't stand it."
Marek frowned.
"I thought you just awakened using the vials. Just suck it up. You didn't have those powers before either."
Ignis looked at him for a moment.
"Fair enough."
Then he turned towards Cairon.
"Okay, kid. I saw you brought a bag, and it seemed full. Did you get anything else from the study?"
Cairon looked at the bag.
Ignis continued,
"There should've been a bead in that office. A blue stone. Hope you got it."
Cairon looked surprised.
"And how would that stone benefit me?"
"It's one of the relics I had."
"The person who sold it to me swore he got it from the bottom of the ocean, inside a drowned shipwreck."
He looked at Cairon.
"Just tell me you brought it or not."
"I did."
Cairon crossed his arms.
"But you should tell me what it does first."
Ignis suddenly looked at him.
"Wait. How did you even bring it? Didn't you touch it? Nothing happened?"
"I wore gloves," Cai replied.
Ignis nodded his head.
"Uh-huh. That's why."
"Okay, enough talking. Bring it. We've got work to do."
Marek and Vynn were dumbfounded.
Why was this guy so friendly?
Everything he had said was the truth, but this felt a bit off.
They had hit him, kidnapped him, and tied him up, yet he didn't seem to harbor any enmity towards them.
Marek looked at Vynn.
"How hard did Cai hit this guy?"
Vynn thought for a moment.
"I mean, he only hit him once, but it was so hard the poor old man got knocked out flat."
They both looked towards Cairon.
His hand was in the bag, looking for the bead.
"I can't find it."
Cairon searched through the bag again.
Then, frustrated, he held it upside down over the table and emptied it.
A variety of items dropped onto the table in the middle.
As Cai had been in a hurry, he had brought whatever he could put in the bag without looking.
Two sets of parchments.
A snake bracelet coiling around itself, like a brooch.
A dagger made of gold and silver, with foreign-looking letters etched into it.
And the blue bead.
"You're always lucky, Cai," Ignis said.
Something about the way he said it was strange, almost as if he was familiar with him for a long time.
Too friendly.
"You brought the best ones in the collection. Maybe you just didn't bring two or three, but it's fine."
Ignis looked over the items.
Choosing between them, he singled out the blue stone bead and one of the parchments.
"These two are suited for you and will benefit you."
"Care to explain?"
Cai asked.
"Have some patience, young man."
Ignis retorted.
Cai stared at the bead.
What the hell was it?
Now looking at it again, it had a certain gleam to it, like whatever was inside those vials before he awakened.
His thoughts were interrupted by Ignis's explanation.
"First, this blue stone bead. This is the most crucial one for you."
Ignis picked it up.
"It's from the Saelithari."
Cairon frowned.
"The what?"
"An ancient civilization. They lived beneath the sea, long before most of the kingdoms that exist today were even built."
Vynn looked at him.
"People lived under the sea?"
Ignis shrugged.
"They did."
He looked back at the bead.
"They worshipped a deity called Saelith. Most of what we know about them is either lost or buried somewhere beneath the ocean."
Cairon looked at the bead.
"And this came from them?"
"That's what I was told."
Ignis turned the bead between his fingers.
"The man who sold it to me claimed he found it inside a drowned shipwreck."
Ignis continued,
"It's a form of Aetherstone of sorts, but it's been naturally created in nature."
Cairon looked at it more closely.
"The difference between this and other Aetherstones is that this one has a certain form of Aether that is rich in Water, you can say."
Ignis looked towards Cairon.
"If done correctly, it can really amplify your ability to use your powers."
Cairon raised an eyebrow.
"But only if you've already been unlucky enough to awaken as a Water user."
Ignis said it as if he was genuinely sorry for Cairon.
Cairon stared at the bead.
The moment his hand came close to it, he felt that same coldness again.
He slowly reached towards it.
Ignis noticed.
"You feel it?"
Cairon looked at him.
"Yeah."
For the briefest moment, Ignis's expression changed.
It was almost impossible to notice.
Almost.
Then he smiled again.
"Good."
Cairon narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You definitely did something."
Ignis chuckled not replying to what he said .
Marek sighed from behind them.
"Are you two done?"
Ignis looked at him.
"Not quite."
He pointed towards the parchment.
"That is the other thing you brought."
Cairon picked it up.
"What is it?"
Ignis leaned slightly closer.
"Something that might be more useful to you than the bead."
Cairon unfolded the parchment.
The moment he saw what was written on it, his expression changed.
He didn't recognize the language.
But as soon as he had saw the symbol at the top.
A scene flashed before his eyes .
He froze .
Fifteen lines.
Meeting at a single point.
A metal had guiding them and the the single point shot forward in a straight line .
The he heard the owner of the hand "They shall be claimed once more. Saelith sleeps in water no one has ever bothered to enter .
As Cairon was having this weird vision , he heard Vynn and marek call to him " Cai what's in the parchment, what did you see ? "
Cairon trying to collect himself replied "nothing I was just focusing at the contents of the parchment trying to make sense of it."
Ignis was staring at Cairon
For the first time since Cairon had met him, the old man's smile disappeared completely.
And he said nothing.
Just observing Cairon , his thoughts a mystery.