To craft the ideal charms for specific prophets with specific Totems, the level of information a charm-smith must possess on their customers must be profound. Profound in the sense that the charm-smiths would have to understand things that even the prophets themselves are unaware of, or cannot explain clearly by mouth.
And while there are different ways to achieve this level of understanding, the most efficient method, was the use of Talismans of intimacy.
Talismans are objects of miracles, giving extraordinary effects and aiding people to perform various tasks that machines and hands cannot accomplish. They exist in various parts of jobs and vocations, and take on a variety of forms based on the materials they were made of.
Izel carried a jotter-full of paper talismans, mostly with the ability to add pre-inscribed elements onto objects without affecting the object's usual state. Just like she had set her sword on fire previously, she could set the water in a glass cup on fire with a similar talisman, yet the water would not heat up nor evaporate.
But if the same talisman was used on the cup, the water within it would boil, leaving the cup aflame until the talisman ceases to work.
There were other talismans, like the plastic books the weapons were stored in, and many others.
Those aside, the main focus now was on the talisman of intimacy.
Izel and Ikky soon walk into a dark secluded room.
"Follow my lead." Izel said, clapping her hands a few times. Faint golden light soon poured down from the ceiling, making a spotlight shine at the center of the dark room.
Ikky did as the young woman asked, before sitting down on the floor right in front of her.
"You ready?"
"Yeah." Ikky replied. "For what though?"
Izel dipped her hands in her overall's chest pocket and pulled out a metallic sheet talisman. Holding it up and facing the surfaces of the talisman to their faces, she let it go, leaving it to float in the air.
"Okay, this thing here is a talisman of connections. I'll be using it to link both of our inner minds together and shuffle it."
"What?"
"Yeah. It will shuffle our memories, and give me all the information I need to create your charm. Then you will also receive some of my knowledge of the arts, so we can help each other."
"Wait wait wait? Crazy talk aside, doesn't the sword just need fixing? What do you mean by, create?" Ikky scratched his head.
"Well professor, was the sword made for you?" She didn't wait for him to answer.
"No. This is someone else's charm, so it'll be useless to you and your Totem. And in time, the sword will disintegrate, and its shards will become useless. That would have been a sad waste of such precious metal."
"Huh. No wonder it looked like the blade was getting sicker."
"Yeah, now back to what I was saying— when we're done with making the charm, the talisman will rearrange our memories, putting back all the things I've learnt and found out about you, in your head, and same with everything you know about me, to me. So at the end of the day, you'll be equipped with my perspective of your Totem, and also all the uses and functions I've inscribed on the charm."
"And what do you get?"
"Some money, I hope." She laughed.
Ikky's eyes opened wide. "Wait, I thought you were doing this for free? You know Rick, right?"
"Sure I know Rick. But this charm is for you, so you're gonna have to hand me the cash yourself." Izel replied.
"Aww man." Ikky's shoulders fell. Even if Rick would willingly want to pay for the charm in Ikky's place, the amber-eyed man didn't have it in him to ask. He'd already taken more from the Starlights than he had from anyone in Svarga since childhood.
"Charms are expensive too, aren't they?" Ikky continued to wallow in sadness.
Adding salt to his wound, Izel stated, "A single charm is as expensive as two bungalows in the richest kingdom in Svarga— Sumeru!"
"Jeez, damn! I get it! I'll just pick up my stuff and go rot with it. The weapon still cuts good anyway."
The amber-eyed man scowled as he prepared to leave. But before he could stand up, Izel dropped her palm on his knee and laughed.
"What's your name, cat eyes?" She asked.
"Deez."
Izel's laugh sounded even louder. "Okay, okay, calm down, mister."
"You didn't ask me, 'Deez what?'" Ikky said with a straight face. He wasn't in as jolly of a mood as the copper clothed lady.
Izel slapped his knee lightly. "I'll make your charm for you. But you do know there are other ways to pay people in the Lokahs besides money, right?"
Ikky thought about what the other ways to pay, Izel was talking about were, but in the end, he concluded that she also wanted to make him work, just like Arley did.
"I'll do it." He agreed and sat back down.
The woman shrugged. Ikky definitely wasn't thinking of the same payment she was, but it was hers to profit from anyway. He'll come to know eventually.
Getting back to her former question, Ikky revealed, "The name's Equinox Summers. But you can call me Ikky."
Izel rose a brow. "Seriously?"
Ikky shrugged.
"It's a crazy world isn't it? With terrors and misfortune pouring into our world each time a prophet fails their mission." She sighed softly, giving her own introduction,
"You can call me Izel. But tell those who ask that it's the great charm-smith, Izel Tachibana Summers, who created your charm!"
Ikky's eyes opened wide with surprise at hearing her full name.
No, they aren't siblings.
'Summers' is a collective name given to children who've been orphaned by calamity spirits, and have no other relatives to take care of them.
The name was gotten from the mighty king of Svarga's last name, 'Summer', and is given to those helpless children to use and be granted benefits that no other children were.
For example, the Summers could use their names to rent free homes, get free food and healthcare for up to a certain age. Those children could also choose to remove that last name if they ever got adopted. Overall, it was a powerful name that was meant to make those unfortunate people feel safe, protected, and that they were not alone in the vast world... Or so Equinox has heard.
Breaking the silence, Izel's smiling lips fell into a focused pout, "Let's get started. And don't worry about the payment anymore."
Ikky's face brightened up. "Wait, you mean you'll make a charm for me for free?" For once in his life that name was finally being useful—
"No no. You're still paying. I just don't want you to worry."
She tapped the floating talisman and flexed her eyebrows, signalling for him to do what she had told him to earlier.
The amber-eyed man frowned, yet obeyed nonetheless.
As soon as both their index fingers touched the talisman, Ikky and Izel felt their minds being pulled into the other's body, before they settled again.
Izel now knew everything about the strange pale man.
———
Izel might not have created as many charms as a professional charm-smith was required to, but that didn't make her any worse than they were. She possessed boundless energy and the creativity to think up ideas that even someone as old as Lion was, found astounding.
Although, the Nian wasn't really expecting her to take so long— so long that Ikky would almost miss the Prophet anointment by the time they stepped out of that solitary place.
They had spent days in enclosure. But what happened?