Steel and Mana

We had left Avalon for about four days, stopping at Markoth to review the winter's progress and the state of our supplies, and I already had a stack of paperwork as tall as my coffee mug. Which was impressive, if I say so myself, because when we first came here, people weren't even bothering with learning to write, and now they were keeping track of everything... And relaying it to their supervisors, who then send it up, up and up until it lands on my desk.

Most of it was details about monster attacks, half of it from the Pass, from Lucca. While we were away, killing that worm, they had been dealing with waves of beasts coming through. He noted that the unusual aspect was that most of them were of the smaller variants, suggesting they may have been pushed through by others. It could be... Which means, for the foreseeable future, I can't move troops away from Markoth, in case he is right and more, nastier ones are coming.

Going through all the papers, one was from Merlin, which surprised me as we had just left. Opening it up, the title on the top of the page didn't help:

Preliminary Resonance Tests on the Worm Core: Observations, Hypotheses, and Potential Dangers.

"Potential dangers?" I muttered, pursing my lips. What did you do...? "If that section's longer than the rest of the report, I'm going to..." I flipped ahead. Yes... It was long and detailed. Great! You did something bad, didn't you? I began scanning it with my eyes, not actually reading, and somewhere around the halfway point was a sentence I had to read twice to make sure I wasn't imagining it:

"…risk of catastrophic reaction estimated at 60–80% if containment of the magical waves fails. Potential destruction radius: the entire city of Avalon."

"You..." I set the page down slowly and buried my face in my palms, groaning, "Merlin, you reckless, brilliant idiot…" I grunted, though there was a small smile tugging at my lips. "I leave you alone with one overgrown magic potato for a week, and you try to reset me back to zero?! If you dare to blow up my city, I am going to find you in the afterlife, and stuff you into your first incarnation..."

Honestly, if I'd been drinking my coffee when I read that part, the paperwork in front of me would have been ruined. Damned little gremlin! Haaah... Taking a deep breath, I leaned back, staring at the ceiling of my chamber aboard the Camelot and wondering if I should go and send a message to Elena, let her spank or peg him as a punishment. Maybe both. As I was thinking of that, the door to the bathroom opened and Sasha walked out, wearing nothing, her hair still wet, in the middle of drying it with a towel... I could never get bored watching her like this... and it never failed to shoo away any frustrations I have.

I still recall when I first saw her in her birthday suit. Back then, it was because of a little misunderstanding, thinking I was going to use her... now it was because there was nothing to hide between us. Hehe...

"What?" She chuckled, looking at me sideways, acting as if she was shy or about to cover herself, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." I chuckled again, remembering how she looked at the start, slim, all bones and no meat to grab. Stark contrast to how she was now, healthy and beautiful. "Will you stay aboard or go down after the others?"

"I'm staying." She continued, starting to slowly get dressed, "Today, I think I'll rest."

"Then you could help me with sorting these?" I asked, pointing at the papers, seeing me shrug.

"Sure... Oh? Is that Merlin's handwriting?" She noticed at once and then the thickness of his report, "What happened?" she asked again, a bit more concerned, crossing the table and sitting in my lap. "Who died?"

"No one," I said, handing her the report. "Yet."

"Yet?" She lifted it up, furrowing her brows as she scanned the first page… then the second… and then her body stiffened. By the time she got to the part about the 'catastrophic reaction,' she had stopped reading and slowly put it down on the table.

"Leon..." Her voice was calm but somewhat quivering. "Tell me I'm reading this wrong."

"Ummmm... Nope! You're not."

"That..." She slapped the report with a hand, fuming, "That little idiot! He could have blown everything to smithereens! Leon!" Then she pointed a finger at me, as if I'd been the one conducting the test, poking the tip of my nose as she turned around. "The moment we get back to Avalon, I'm finding him and spanking him!"

"Well," I arched an eyebrow, "I think we are about twenty years too late for that to be effective."

"Don't care," she said, with all the stubborn conviction of an angry woman. "It's the principle. He's like a younger brother... a younger brother who apparently thinks he's indestructible. Or the whole city is! Where his WIFE and SON live! Little... twerp! He needs reminding that he's not a God."

"Okay, okay!" I chuckled, leaning back, holding her waist, "Honestly? He probably deserves it."

"Probably?" she shot back, staring directly into my eyes to accuse me of taking his side, which should be an... unwise decision.

"Alright, definitely. But..."

"No butts!" She scoffed, using one of my own puns against me.

"Let me finish!" I tickled her sides to ease her anger, "Just tell it to Elena. It would be best to leave this to her than to us, hm?"

"..." For a moment, she remained silent, considering, and nodding that it should be done so. Sorry Merlin...

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

It was then that the door opened, and to my surprise, Mikan walked in in a hurry.

"What happened?" We asked in unison.

"We're going back." She said as she stepped up to us, holding a new message, "To Avalon."

"Did it blow up?!" We both asked, almost jumping up from the chair, making Mikan flinch, opening her eyes in shock.

"W-w-what? No!" She stammered as I took the paper from her, reading it with Sasha.

She scanned it quickly, just like me, her eyes darting as we took in the short but urgent tone. By the time we finished, she was already looking back at me.

"They want to talk to us... Badly." She muttered, worried, "Something happened..."

"Yes." I mused, scratching my chin, glancing at Mikan, "Did they say why?"

"No." She shook her head, but she was just as worried as we were.

"Then it must not be something horrible..." I muttered, as it was the first time my children asked for me, sounding so... worried.

"I don't know," Sasha muttered while she tapped the paper, trying to scare out more information from between the lines, "Arthur's not the type to overreact... If he's calling us back this urgently, then something's wrong."

"Leon," Mikan leaned over the desk, studying me for a moment. "You think this is connected to the... Other side?"

"Hmm..." I hesitated. "Could be. I don't see any other reason..." I added after she mentioned the possibility, "I don't think any of the Union members would stir up trouble, or even if they did, he is capable enough to deal with it."

"I think so too..." Mikan and Sasha said at the same time."

"Well," I shrugged, fixing my clothes, "Tell the others to start packing and that we are leaving for Avalon. I'll go and wake Kustov..."

...
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......

By the time we docked next to Avalon, the sky was about to darken, while for days on end, it was the first night when the snowfall finally died down. Having weird ideas marinate in both my and Sasha's heads, we didn't waste time with formalities, and the moment the boarding ramp clanked into place, we went straight for the Palace to see our kids.

The curse of being a parent... the moment something happens, you can't help but always think of the worst possible outcomes and make it even more horrible in your mind. They may just stub their toes, but in your head, their whole leg is broken now... But they were fine. I mean, there were no injuries or anything... Entering their bedroom, Leyla sat stiff-backed, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her fingers playing and moving around with each other... Okay, first clear sign she was anxious. Then, looking at Arthur… Oh boy... My son looked like he hadn't slept properly in days. It was indeed as Mikan guessed.

"Son..." Sasha crossed the room in three long strides while the rest of us were just coming in. Looking at him, putting both hands on his shoulders, she was checking with a pained gaze how baggy his eyes had become. "What happened?"

"Well..." He gave her a tired smile before leaning to the left, looking at us all. "I'll tell you. All of you. Sit..."

"Ominous..." Yuri mumbled, dragging a chair over and sitting down backwards, using its backrest to lean on.

"I guess, you already guessed," Arthur took a deep breath, "It's the dreams again. The visions... And they are now very strong and come almost daily, whenever I go to sleep. They're… clearer, too. Last time, I saw through someone else's eyes, standing atop some kind of... Volcano. He was gazing at the lava, and I could sense a beast, one we had never seen before, lurking down below. I could feel the man's thoughts, as if they were my own. He was trying to explain it to me, but... When I wake up, most of the words slip away, still... I can only recall the images."

"Son," I leaned forward. "And you're sure it wasn't just your imagination running with you? Exhaustion? Stress?"

"If it was any of those, it's getting very good at showing me places I shouldn't know exist," he chuckled, shaking his head. "And every time it happens, it feels less like a dream and more like… a connection."

"Dad," Leyla spoke, "We had them since we were children! I stopped mine and I walled them off... But this idiot... he never did."

"It wasn't a big deal back then," Arthur shrugged, unapologetic about his decision, "And they weren't this frequent."

"Oh, you..." Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to get angry, because she wasn't really. She was just worried, "And now whatever's on the other end knows how to find you... Why not listen to your sister?"

"I know," Arthur said, his voice being softer now, "Sorry... But... That's why I called you back. It's not stopping any time soon, and it is getting worse. And honestly... I'm getting afraid..." He added, being so honest, that I couldn't help but sit next to him and pull him into a hug.

"It's going to be okay, son... If anyone wants to take you... They have to do it through my dead body..."

"Um..." Mikan leaned forward slightly, "There's something we can try. It's temporary, but it may help."

"Mikan?" Sasha asked, but I had already caught on to what she was suggesting.

"A blood tattoo, similar to mine." She continued, "It would not be a permanent binding, just a ward meant to muffle whatever's trying to reach him. If it works, we can start thinking about a more permanent solution. If it doesn't, it can be consumed, and it would come off. But... The spell... worked for me. I'm not sure how similar his situation is to mine, but... I say we give it a shot."

"Um..." Arthur frowned.

"You're doing it. No argument." Sasha cut in, stern as a drill officer, shooting down anything Arthur was thinking about.

"I agree," Leyla glanced between them. "This isn't dangerous, but the dreams are. You must do it, Arthur!"

"You're all going to keep pushing until I say yes, do it, aren't you?" He joked, rubbing the back of his neck after a long moment.

"Yes," Sasha and Mikan said in perfect unison.

"Okaaaaay!" Arthur sighed, defeated but smiling, "Fine. I just hope it won't affect my abilities... You do know my bones are... different." He said, reminding us with a bit of apprehension.

"Don't worry... Everything will work out!" Mikan said with a small smile, patting his head. "I will make sure of it!"

...
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......

A day later, around early evening, Mikan had everything ready, and we were also there watching her begin. I patted my son's shoulders, seeing him flinch when he saw the small knives she left out, next to a pot of monster blood.

"Left forearm," she instructed him with a smile, rolling up her own sleeves as Arthur reluctantly did the same.

"Don't worry!" She kissed his cheeks, "It won't hurt a bit!"

Dipping her tiny brush into the blood, the moment the 'ink' touched his skin, the air in the room changed. Or... was it just my imagination? Looking at my wives, they didn't notice it... Weird... but I felt a prickle along the back of my neck. Why...? Blinking my eyes, I looked back at Mikan's hand, which was steady, her eyes focused entirely on the precise curve of each mark as she worked the first loops of the sigil she was painting. Neither she nor Sasha reacted... Then... what was that feeling?

"Dad..." Arthur looked up, and now I saw it in his eyes, he felt something, too... His breathing slowed down, and his gaze became fixed somewhere far away. Then… his pupils narrowed... I was halfway to opening my mouth when he jerked slightly in his seat, eyes widening as if he were looking straight through me at something else entirely.

"...?!" Mikan froze mid-stroke, finally sensing something, "Arthur?"

"I—" His voice was distant, strange. "I can see them…"

"See," Sasha's head snapped toward him as she already stepped forward, "See what?"

"They're… asking for..." Arthur murmured, but then... Suddenly, I felt it again. More like... I heard it.

"Please... Help... us..."

And as far as I could remember... I blacked out.