Avialian did a double take towards the young soldier as he graciously bowed again and walked away.

“Now then, your mastery over magic has caught my attention. Perhaps I shall spare you if you explain how you overcame my command and how you have corrupted the crystal.”

“Umm, guys do you have any ideas on all that?”

Michael turned to look at the girls, but they all still seemed to be pretty shaken, with Avialian looking far off into the distance and out the main entrance. Michael thanked his lucky stars as Sharon seemed to center herself as she stared directly at Triddian.

“You are the Ancients…You are Triddian but…in our time you…are long gone…The Shambling Crystal only rose…maybe a day ago…You have been hidden…away beneath the waves…and according to Avialian…you died even before…her time…”

Triddian stared at her but offered no words of disagreement or encouragement. Just like with Avialian’s story, he simply stared. Though, as she stopped, and he remained silent it was clear he expected her to say more. After a brief stare down it seemed he won, as she started to add more.

“Your people are dying…you cannot sustain…yourselves forever on…the crystal alone…You already can see that…if you do nothing…all of your people…will die…”

“You certainly enjoy avoiding my questions, don’t you?” Triddian stood up out of the throne. He was absolutely massive and towered over even Avialian. He took a step towards them, and everyone instinctually took a step back in response. “Tell me what magic you are using, witch.”

The massive monster of an Ancient approaching them seemed to have stolen Sharon’s voice again, as she couldn’t manage to form any words. Her lip quivered as she stared up at his hulking form.

Almost in unison, Michael and Carolyn put themselves between Triddian and Sharon. For his part, Triddian did not look amused. Michael still felt like he was on the verge of fainting, but it was like his body was moving on its own. He could almost swear he felt a hand on his shoulder giving him the strength to keep standing.

“She isn’t using any magic! It’s just a different kind of technology.”

“Explain it to me then.” Triddian took another step towards them as he scowled at Michael.

“Like, you need to take a chill pill big guy. You’re like totally giving off a threatening aura that isn’t helping at all.”

Instead of refuting her, or agreeing, Triddian simply stared straight at Carolyn. His eyes burned with a fury that outshone a revenant discovering its murderer. Michael looked back at Avialian who still seemed to be reeling from the recent revelations, but Sharon seemed to grab ahold of herself as she shook her head and slapped her cheek a couple times.

“I can try to explain…but it might not…translate to your…understanding very well…” she moved the book in front of her, crossed her arms over it defensively as she held it to her chest. “Tones control the crystal…syncing with its resonance…making it understand…your intention…these things are…based off of that…but build the crystal…artificially…Using the tones…to grow new forms…from the crystal…and creating things…much quicker…The corruption you see…is just young crystal that…doesn’t have the same…response to tone…”

Triddian’s expression still did not change. “So that is the way things are, is it?” He turned away from them and began to pace along the outer ring of the room. “I found much of your stories hard to believe. Yet you speak them with such surety, such truth. The promising warrior Maghuif is an elder, I am long dead and an author.”

“Does that mean you’ve decided to for sure not kill us?”

“Silence!” His voice echoed through the chamber as he stared over at Michael with his same blank face that he had while listening to their stories. “Do not ask such foolish questions. It isn’t becoming of someone like you. If I wanted you dead, you would be. No, it seems there are many things we have to work together on. Avialian!”

She straightened up like a board as her name was called, and with a slight shiver she looked towards the giant Ancient.

“You are the catalyst. Your corruption is the key to my people’s salvation. We must sever the bond while keeping a way to cultivate the mound as we see fit.”

“I’m sorry, but I somehow do not understand. Your words seem to have almost fluctuating meanings.”

“We are all already corrupted. Our connection is broken, but not severed. Slowly, but surely, we will all die. I had plans to slow it, which included thinning our numbers, but it seems I eventually find a better way. Now with that new way shown so early, I can change the course of our survival.”

“You can do all that just from seeing Avialian?”

“I’m afraid we will need to do more than just seeing. It is already too late for her, she has been completely lost in the void, cut completely free with nowhere to land. But through her exile I can see a path to save the rest of us. Cut out only what’s necessary instead of the blunt, unfocused way it happened to her.”

“Like don’t think for a second we’ll let you hurt her.”

“Your courage is admirable, but you could not stop me even if that was what my intentions were.”

“Like I bet your tin soldiers totally thought that when they tried to corner us like back where we first broke in.”

With an emotionless flash, Triddian placed a hand on the throne. With a small grunt he tore it from the ground and hurled it over his head and into the ceiling. It made a loud crash as it smashed through crystal and shattered. From the new divot a rain of glitter sprinkled down.

“The old ways are dead. Whatever and whoever will not keep my people alive is dead to me. I will destroy whatever I have to so I can ensure their survival. I would consume this entire shambling mound if it would give them even just a few more minutes of life.”

“Even so, we won’t,” Michael gulped as he tried to sound strong. “We won’t let you hurt her!”

He didn’t know why, but it felt like it was easier to act brave when he was yelling. Like it was a natural way to build himself up. Luckily the others didn’t seem to notice how fragile his façade was, as the three humans all stood firm together, moving from protecting Sharon to protecting Avialian.

“They are my people too,” Avialian finally spoke out. “I thought you only brought stagnation to us, but hearing you now, I can see that is not your goal. If I can help, I would be more than happy to.”

“I am glad our pride has not faded by your time. Though I worry that we have less time than I would like. We must hurry before the next shift. If we can get results soon, we may be able to avoid it entirely.”