Sleep did not seem to be an option on the table. Anyone would be sleepy if they stayed awake in the wee hours of the night, especially after all they had eaten. However, both he and his friends understood that time became a scarce commodity they could not waste, and Leander knew better than anyone.

“What you experienced outside, that ghostly shield that came up to protect us, represents your magic and the connection to the crystal.”

“Isn’t it a Valiant?” Finnian asked, still not quite understanding what he meant.

“Of course it is,” Leander replied, running a hand over the back of his neck, “although it looks different.”

The ethereal form was what he had experienced on other occasions and what the guardian had just defined for him. It was not that it was weaker, although it was less effective as it was not easy to handle even under the best of circumstances. It could also be considered as the way it appeared in someone who did not yet control the power of his valiant, as was his case.

“This fairy may understand how to recognize what you have done,” Ead reminded them.

“Knowing Blanche, she’d probably want one of her own,” Finnian said.

“It would take time and effort to use to our advantage,” Nero said.

“And in the off chance that she did get one, I don’t think they’d risk something like that,” Leander said.

Those who knew the customs about primordial crystals knew that you didn’t get one for good behaviour, even less for all her evil actions. As Leander explained, the gathering is a solo mission that many do not complete as they do not find any crystals that react with them. They assumed that something would happen to Blanche; although they did not have the means to find out, they had their plans.

The twin owls, which he called the crystals they now each possessed, had been carved to have that shape and exposed to magic to fortify it, with no need for a receptacle to store it in.

“That doesn’t mean it’s indestructible, so don’t wield it like a sword,” Leander recommended. “Do you notice how it accepts the magic you offer it?”

“It’s like a strange battery,” Finnian admitted, biting his lip. “Only I’m the one who powers it.”

“And it is it who allows you to fight, though not how you have done so far,” Leander said.

The primordial crystal was needed for a Valiant to emerge, though other methods had been developed to harness its power over time. Just as his friends accepted the magic he offered them, or his Mark helped him channel his strength and amplify it through them, he needed an amulet for his valiant to take physical form.

“Can’t I stay as I am?” Finnian said, “I don’t use it much either, and it appears when I least expect it.”

“That’s what they want you to do,” Leander said, now with a sterner voice. “It’s not a toy, but a physical representation of your power, or almost. If they had managed to break your shield, the blow you would have received would have been worse than you imagine.”

Just as using spells to fight others could wear him down, a valiant was so connected to him that he would still suffer damage, especially if someone tried to use it against him. A materializing amulet would allow him to harness his strength, limiting the magic he gave to his valiant, though at the same time protecting him.

Leander took them to one end of the house, where he had his gym. It lit up as soon as they entered, shedding light that late at night would rarely be seen, displaying their equipment, an area to train with weights and machines similar to those in his world, and even weapons.

“We have a building dedicated to training us, although this is my private place,” Leander explained.

Far from taking them to train, he went straight to one of the ends, where he kept certain things under lock and key that was not visible to anyone. His house, as they imagined, was open to anyone who needed him, so some privacy never hurt. What looked to him like a lock, which he quickly opened, was set so that only he or Anwil could open it because inside, they found his collection of materializing amulets.

“Not many of them,” Ead said.

“I made some, some by Anwil,” Leander said, “but others were gifts.

Many were not magical, or not from what their senses could pick up. Those amulets had different designs, being unique in their way. But the important thing was not how they were but the value they could give them.

“Because with them you shape not a weapon to defend yourself, but the bond with the elthean who gave you the amulet, or the feeling for which it was created. That practice is what makes them so versatile and difficult to handle.”

Links, connections. It was curious that he had something like that, especially the way he was. He wanted to add more, but it wasn’t an ability he understood, nor much that was in his life.

“Pick one, the first one that catches your eye,” Leander said.

“You don’t mind?” Finnian asked.

To which he just shook his head, waiting for his decision. He was no different from Ailfryd, even if Finnian found it hard to accept such gestures. As a rule, no one but his parents or grandparents were interested in him. Not that he had much family or friends for birthdays either, and while he had no problem sharing, he wasn’t one to like to take other people’s things away from them either. However, his eyes caught one of those charms. Perhaps it was because it didn’t stand out for its size and though he was unaware of what material it had been made of, that gold and silver shooting star was the one he pointed.

Leander’s reaction was curious. He watched him and then closed his eyes, biting his lip to hold back the urge to laugh.

“I had a feeling you would choose that one.”

It was the one he and Anwil created for the twin crystals, using seraphen metal, or the little one they found to design nearly identical amulets. Its hardness made it perfect for the most formidable armour or shields, but its ability to strengthen when exposed to magic, as long as they didn’t manage to break it, made anyone want to have something like that to defend themselves. However, in this case, it was different.

“Seraphen’s properties carry over, in part, to the valiant, making them resilient even as they change in appearance.”

And though Finnian only looked for something that caught his attention, perhaps his instincts were picking up more than he knew. With that decided, Leander taught him a couple of tricks to keep anyone from seeing where he held the crystal or amulet. With a spell, he made his djinn bracelet disappear to eyes other than his own, making it harder for them to identify the crystal. As for the amulet, Leander wore it hidden in his gauntlets so that no one could see or recognize it, though it was enough for him to learn how to connect it for his Mark to keep it.

“I don’t know why it started doing those things, but he reacts to my thoughts,” Finnian admitted.

“It’s not tight in there either,” Nero replied, getting the rest of the elthean to stare at her silently for a few seconds. “What? I’m not a fan of tight places.”

“As it is, you could use this,” Leander said.

He held out a pair of gauntlets, somewhat more significant than the ones he had been using now, of a dark grey that could camouflage with the environment. Though soft to the touch, he could feel them more reinforced than the previous ones, but they had one more quality. There was a symbol on the palms for the spell it contained, and when he had practice, he could move his weapon with just a thought from one hand to the other.

“I think that’s a lot to ask of me in such a short time, don’t you?” Finnian said.

No matter how much hope they had for him, everyone had their limits. Then, when he went to add something else, he tasted again what it was like to experience a vision after quite some time. The sound of their voices distorted along with his sight, offering him a new scenario he already knew. It was the borders of the Orchid, just where they had arrived. The night sky was still present, making the night even more eternal, and the figure of the Lord of Calamity remained in front of him. Illuminated by the spotlights, he could not understand what it was saying to him, although he didn’t have time to decipher it either.

The grass, the mountains and everything around him disappeared. Even the moon and the stars could no longer be seen. A dark dome surrounded them, and before he could figure out who was doing that, he came back to reality. Aer had grabbed his arm with eyes full of worry, just like the others. Silence reigned in the gym until Finnian managed to catch his breath to tell what had happened.

“It’s been a while since you’ve had any,” Rune said.

“Maybe it’s because Blanche and Kali aren’t around to interfere,” Leith said. “Do you think that’s what’s intruded with the visions? Or with Idelya warning us about something that was affecting us?”

“Or is it because everything is moving faster,” Finnian said. “Also, that Calamity is getting closer.”

Was there something else the universe had in store for them? He hoped not! Because being gone for a week managed to turn all of Elthea upside down. What else could happen that even his mind would not be able to foresee?

“He’s not here, or not yet,” Leander said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll make good use of the time; you’ll see.”

After all, could he hide under a bed until the storm had passed? Certainly not!