I opened my eyes to find myself staring at another unfamiliar ceiling. I was laying in my back in a bed that felt surprisingly comfortable.
'I'm still in the village…' I thought as moved to sit up. My body was tight but at least it wasn't sore.
I looked around and found that I was in a room in the healing hut, a shared room. Jane was sitting up in a bed to my right. He bright eyes practically glowed when we locked eyes
"Oh thank the gods you are awake!" Jane exclaimed.
"How long was I out this time?" I asked as I stretched.
"It's been two days." Jane said. "I just woke up a little bit ago so Iris went to find a healer."
"You okay?" I asked, my eyes darting between her eyes and her stomach. Jane nodded and smiled sweetly.
"I feel fine, the wound was closed when I woke up and I don't feel any pain or discomfort." Jane replied. "Considering I was treated by healers of the fabled Tolapo village I shouldn't expect anything less."
"I'm glad, you really scared me when Anansi stabbed you…" I said. Jane's expression saddened and she ran a hand over her stomach.
"I should have been more aware of my surroundings. It won't happen again." Jane said.
[Finally awake!] Bone-lasher growled in my head. A wave of relief washed over me and I was made aware of Bone-lasher and Alpa'nagia's presence in my farm crystal.
[I wasssss worried about you!] Alpa'nagia hissed.
[You were the one that got skewered like a kabob, I'm the one that should be worried.] I replied. [You all healed up?]
[Yessssss! Perfectly!] Alpa'nagia replied.
"You're talking with your evos aren't you?" Jane asked bringing my focus back to the room.
"Yeah. They were both worried about me apparently." I replied.
"You smile slightly whenever you talk to them…you look like a kid who's smiling cause he made a friend." Jane observed. I scowled and crossed my arms.
"Really?"
"It's not a bad thing!" Jane quickly said. "You just look happy…it's kinda cute…I mean it's cute that you find talking to evos so enjoyable! I mean…!"
Jane's face turned bright red and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at her. That only made her face turn even redder. Just then Iris walked into the room practically dragging a healer behind her. Iris saw me and Jane up and a look of relief spread across her face.
"See now they're both awake!" Iris said to the healer in universal standard.
"By the star shard! The star keeper is awake!" The header said in Torapos. Iris frowned and looked to me.
"Star Child! Translation!" Iris exclaimed.
"She's surprised I'm awake and you could have at least said good to see you're alive before you barked orders at me Tri-clops." I said. Iris rolled her eyes.
"Please! We all knew you weren't going to die. It's just getting annoying having to drag you all over the place every time you pass out." Iris groaned.
"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose!" I snapped.
"Don't start you two!" Jane said sternly. I looked over to see that she no longer was blushing.
"Yes mom." I said sarcastically. Iris growled at me and looked like she was ready to stab me.
"Can you just ask the healer lady to look you and Lady Jane over?" Iris asked crossing her arms. "I'll go find you a pen and some paper so you can write that translation spell of yours so we can all understand Torapos again."
"Sure…" I agreed then turned to the healer.
After I translated what Iris asked the healer gave Jane and I a thorough check up then brought us some clothes to change into, since both if us were still wearing the blood stained clothes we had on days earlier. I went to another room to change while Jane changed inside our room. When I came back Iris had returned with paper and a pen. It didn't take me long to scribe the Rosetta Stone spell and by the time I was done Geryo a group of Warriors walked into the room looking to escort us to the Elder's council room.
The walk to the tower was a lot less hostile than the last one. Even as we were escorted down the halls of the healers hut the people we passed looked at the three of us with respect, and more than a few at me with awe. Once out side and walking down the streets I was happy to see that much of the damage from the sonic viper attack days ago was cleared away. Villagers were back to their everyday lives, though as we passed everyone waved or yelled "Praise the star keeper and his guardians."
When we reached the Elder's council room I was surprised to see, Baset, Astrid, Damon, Alberto, and Geryo already standing before Elders Luna, Dwarm'moo, Abra'bo,, Ndila, and Imani. All eyes turned to us as the warriors left guided us into the room then quickly left and closed the doors behind them.
"Star keeper! You have no idea how relieved the council was to hear that you had regained consciousness." Elder Imani said in Torapos.
The girls and I joined the rest of our class, Baset and Geryo and I smiled at Elder Luna.
"Nowhere as relieved as I am to see that everything in the village is getting back to nromal." I responded in Torapos. I pulled the Rosetta Stone spell sigil sheet out of my pocket and held it up so that everyone could see it. "Before this goes any further let me cast this so that my classmates can understand what is being said."
"Of course Nephew." Elder Luna said returning my earlier smile.
I channeled mana into my hand and it immediately jumped into the spell sigil, burning the page. The axiom spell activated the same it had the last few times sending energy into Iris, Jane, Astrid, Damon, and Alberto.
"Can you all understand me now?" Elder Ndila asked.
"Perfectly." Jane and Iris replied. The others nodded.
"Impressive. Its as if Lulu'nala was standing in front of us." Imani said. I smirked with pride, admittedly I stuck my chest out a little when I heard that.
"That is true…however the flattery of my Nephew can wait until after council business is concluded." Elder Luna said eyeing the other elders. Imani and Ndila both smirked then became serious.
"You are right Luna'lana.. We called you all here because you were all here for key events that have taken place in the last few days. The council of elders would like you all to tell us what each of you to recount the recent assult on the village in your own words." Elder Ndila explained.
"Elders…this might take some time…" Baset said.
"Then it is a good thing we have nothing but time." Elder Abra'bo said.
"Well then Astrid and I better start…" I said.
For the next few hours each of us took turns telling the council what we saw and how we stopped the attack on the village. Damon and Alberto tried to play up their roll in the whole affair but Astrid quickly set them straight. The council as well as Damon and Alberto were shocked to hear what happened when I freed Alpa'nagia from Tarrika and healed him. Elder Luna even gave me a tongue lashing like grandma Lulu did whenever I did something stupid.
The moment we started describing the battle with Anansi; Dwarm'moo and Abra'bo who both had been oddly silent the entire time got antsy. When I described how Anansi was killed Abra'bo closed hos eyes and looked away while Dwarm'moo looked pissed. Finishing up with the battle against Raziri the council looked to be in a state of shock as well as disbelief.
"That's everything that happened." I said then looked to everyone for confirmation. The others all nodded.
"Stars keep us…" Ndila muttered "To think such a wound could be made against the village by our own."
"That pitiful bastard is not one of the people! He forfeited that right when he faked his death!" Dwarm'moo snapped.
"And I wonder why he did that!" Abra'bo snapped at Dwarm'moo. "The way you were on at the boy all the time its a wonder he didn't slit your throat while you slept!"
"If he had it would have only been more proof that he wasn't my child! No child of mine would stoop so low!"
"It's Hilarious that you would talk about low! The way you used to beat him! Break him down! A monster like you is a disgrace to the title of father!"
"OH FOR STARS SAKE! ENOUGH!" Elder Luna bellowed and slammed her fist in the armrest of her chair. "Both of you failed Dwarm'mond! As the entire village did with Tarrika and Raziri. We saw them suffering and abused and said nothing. Their betrayal is on all of us!"
Dwarm'moo and Abra'bo both looked away from the rest of the council. Both looking a bit more aged than they had days ago.
"I'd like to bring the investigation, at least at our level, of the incidents of the attacks to the village to a close. I'd like Warden Geryo to continue with his investigation and toe up loose ends. Any objections?" Elder Imani asked then looked to the rest of the elders. Abra'bo and Dwarm'moo shook their heads and so did Ndila.
"None on my end." Elder Luna replied.
"Then I'd like for this matter to be declared closed." Elder Imani said.
"Finally…" I grumbled to myself. I heard Jane, Iris and Baset all let out sighs of relief.
"With this, I'd like to bring another matter to the council's attention." Elder Luna said looking to each elder then setting gee gaze on me. "The matter of formally accepting Chase Kingston as the star keeper of the current cycle and allowing him to go through his Waloiki."
This made all the elders perk up and look to me then back to Elder Luna. I don't know why but I suddenly felt uneasy.
"Chase, what was that last word, it didn't translate?" Jane whispered
"It didn't translate because I don't know it. I've never heard that before." I whispered back.
"A waloiki? Of course, being born outside of the village he never received one." Elder Ndila said.
"Plus formally accepting a star keeper would be a great way to raise the spirits of the village after such a devastating attack." Imani said.
"I'm sorry, but could you explain to all of us what a waloiki is?" Baset asked the elders. Elder Luna nodded then smiled at me.
"A waloiki is a right of passage, a celebration, and a rebirth all rolled into one. When a child turns sixteen here in the village they have a waloiki in the presence of the all the villagers. The youths most trying time is shown to the village and they are judged for how they handled it. It is during this time that mana pathways are created throughout the body, allowing for better control of one's mana." Elder Luna explained.
My interest piqued when she mentioned mana pathways opening up in my body. It reminded me of all the studying I was doing back at Andromeda College to try and create a system. Iris and Jane both looked at me with excited eyes and I could tell that they were thinking the same thing.
"Did my Grandma Lulu go through a waloiki?" I asked.
"Yes. But it wasn't quite the same as everyone else in the village. Since she was shardless there were no pathways created when she went through hers. I was quite proud of her regardless." Elder Luna said.
"I'd like to have one then. It'd be like I was walking the same path as Grandma Lulu." I said softly.
"You already are, whether you know it or not…" Elder Luna stood up from her seat and walked pulled a tome and a bracelet out of a pouch hanging from her armrest. She then walked over to me and held up the bracelet for everyone to see. "My sister made this for me, she spent months making it and then gave it to me the night she left the village. She told me she wanted me to have some protection since she wouldn't be around to protect me anymore."
The bracelet was made our wooden circled that were interlocking. Each link in the bracelet had about fifteen different runes carved into it. The bracelet was painted a dark black color while the rune carvings had a deep red color. It was beautiful.
Elder Luna slipped the bracelet on her wrist and I noticed it was a little loose. Her farm crystal glowed brightly as did the runes on the bracelet. Fire suddenly spewed from the runes on the bracelet and flew to the palm of her hand, condensing into the shape of a sword. Elder Luna then held the flaming sword into the air and the flames froze over and the sword elongated into a spear. Elder Luna smirked then opened her hand and the ice spear shattered.
"Oh my gods! That's a enchanted item!" Astrid exclaimed much to Baset and the rest of the classes excitement.
"Enchanted item?" I asked looking to Jane and Iris.
"Enchanted items are objects that can be used to cast spells or spell-like effects. They were very common about five thousand years ago but nowadays no one knows how to make them, save spell sigil cards." Jane explained.
"I see…" I muttered then looked back at Elder Luna. "…and my grandmother made that one?"
"My sister made a lot of Enchanted items and spells. Despite being the only one in the village that couldn't cast spells she was the most versed in the old ways. The most forward thinking and driven too." Elder Luna replied. She took off the bracelet and held it out to me. "I believe she would want you to have this and as it is customary for one's parents and grandparents to give a youth a present before their waloiki I can think of no better present for you."
I hesitantly took the bracelet from Elder Luna. It was warm to the touch, alien but oddly familiar. I slipped the bracelet on my wrist and examined the runes on each chain.
"This bracelet was made to work with someone who has the mana-nana manipulation spell. It takes mana that is channeled into it and shapes it into a weapon. The shape of the weapon depends on the attribute of the mana and the user. Lulu'nala called it The Tolapo Luluby."
"The Tolapo Luluby…" I muttered softly. I started channeling shadow attribute mana into my hand. My farm crystal glowed brightly as black mana flowed out of the bracelet and into the palm of my hand. It twisted and turned inside a black mass before it finally took shape. My eyes widened as the grip pf a very familiar weapon filled my hand. "A glock 12!"
I gasped and looked at the gun then up at Elder Luna. She looked surprised at the shape of the gun, probably never seen one in her life.
I pointed the gun at the far wall away from everyone and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, sending black flashes and smoke shooting put of the barrel. A bullet hit the far wall and a small sphere expanded on impact till it was about the size of a dinner plate. When the sphere contracted and disappeared there was a hole clear through the wall that allowed us to see the village below.
"Oh my gods! I have a black hole gun!"