In Lerne, within a small town:

  Gaden sat in the common room, sipping his drink.

  Omaren was asleep, still, in his room. It was almost strange. How far above Gaden he seemed, the terror that he struck his enemies with, and the incredible speed he moved with. He was almost incomprehensible, and yet, as if he were nothing more than an ordinary person, he slept.

  Gaden emptied his cup, then set it aside, thinking. The barkeep approached, but Gaden waved him off, staring down at the lines of his hand, still unfamiliar to his eyes. He traced his finger along the blue lines of his veins that showed themselves in specific patterns, a spiderweb of life-giving blood. All of this was incredible but foreign to him, and he stared at what he knew he should be accustomed to.

  He was so immersed that he didn’t notice Omaren entering the room until he was sitting beside him.

  Omaren waved the bartender over, and ordered a light cider. “Good morning.” He said to Gaden, supporting his head with his hand.

  Gaden turned as the bartender left to get Omaren’s drink. “Oh… hello.”

  “Had a good night?” Omaren said, yawning.

  “Yes…” Gaden said awkwardly. It was a little unusual still for him to think of Omaren as a person he could hold a conversation with, rather than a force of nature. Attempting conversation was a strangely difficult experience.

  “All right. Still intent on going with me when I leave?”

  “Yes.” Gaden said. “I have something of a grudge against the people who tried to kill me, and their allies.”

  “In that case, you’ll need some tools. Go get yourself a weapon.” Omaren said, dropping a bag on the bar that clinked as it landed.

  The barkeep approached, and Omaren began to slowly drink.

  He looked at Gaden. “Well, go on. Take it.”

  Gaden reached forward and took the bag.

  “That should be enough for you to get a good weapon. Explore the city until you find something that works for you.”

  “All right.” Gaden said.

  “Once I fully wake up,” Omaren said, taking another sip. “I’ll go look for any other places those murderers might be hiding. We won’t need to do anything until tomorrow at the earliest, don’t worry.”

  Gaden nodded, then stood, turning to leave.

  As he did, Omaren called out, “Just don’t get in any trouble, alright?”

  Gaden stepped out of the inn, and stood at the door, taking in the look of the town until someone brushed past him, complaining about his taking up the walking space.

  He stepped forward, then turned, walking down the street.

  He looked at the buildings as he walked, searching for anything that sold weapons, until he found a building with a sign depicting an ornate necklace, with a second image of a blade more hastily graven beside.

  He opened the door, and was greeted by a shopkeeper as he stepped into a stone room with weapons displayed around him.

  Gaden nodded to acknowledge the greeting, moving over to look at the wares. In the back, there were a few pieces of jewelry, but for the most part, the store held weapons of varying types scattered throughout.

  He walked up to a display of swords, weighing them in his hands and testing them.

  The shopkeeper approached, stepping up from behind.

  “Looking for anything in particular?” He asked.

  “A fairly high quality sword, thank you.”

  The shopkeeper moved past Gaden, and took a sword off of a display, before he turned to present it to Gaden.

  “Here. Try this one.”

  Gaden took the weapon, and began moving it around, testing its weight and balance.

  “This one isn’t right.” He said, handing the sword back to the shopkeeper.

  The shopkeeper took back the blade, setting it back into its place, before he took another blade.

  He presented it to Gaden, and Gaden tested this blade as well, before handing it back, desire unfulfilled.

  The shopkeeper continued to present weapons to Gaden, but none of them felt right in his hands until the shopkeeper presented a sword of middling length with a slight curve to the blade.

  Gaden took it, and immediately noticed how natural it felt.

  The crossguard and pommel were virtually nonexistent, the only guard being a slight curve backwards at the top of the hilt, giving the sword a curious balance, which lent itself to Gaden’s method of use.

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  He turned to the shopkeeper and nodded. The shopkeeper moved towards a desk, and Gaden followed.

  “This one is more expensive than most of the other wares I sell here. It’s something of a masterwork. Fifty-five standard gold is the price.”

  Gaden took the pouch he had received from Omaren, and emptied it. Gaden counted the golden coins that fell onto the table, and slumped in disappointment, seeing only fifty coins.

  The shopkeeper noticed something on the bag and narrowed his eyes, looking more closely, and confirmed what he suspected, smiling.

  “You’re with Omaren?” He asked.

  “How did you know?” Gaden asked, confused.

  “That bag has his mark on it. He sent you here?”

  “More or less. I’m going with him, and he sent me to get a weapon.”

  “Ah, an apprentice.” The shopkeeper considered. “It never occurred to me that he might take one. He’s always too focused on his work. It’s like his entire life is based on making up for something or accomplishing some goal. What that might be is beyond me, he never shares.”

  An apprentice? Is that what I am? “I… see.”

  “Well, if you’re with him, I’ll drop the price by ten. He helped me in no small way some time ago. I still owe him for that.”

  Gaden considered, then pocketed the leftover coins and pushed the rest forward.

  The shopkeeper took the coins, and held the sword out to Gaden. “May this blade serve you and your teacher well.”

  Gaden took the sword from the shopkeeper’s hand, and stood. The shopkeeper handed him a leather belt with a gap, and Gaden strapped the sword to his side with it. He turned to leave, but a piece of jewelry in the far corner caught his eye.

  He walked over to it, and looked closely at the piece, examining it.

  “What kind of ring is this?” He asked.

  The shopkeeper approached, then sighed. “Oh, that? That’s just a piece of metal someone sold to me for a pittance. The price was so low that I doubt it’s even real silver. That one I could give you for those last five gold coins, though it would be more expensive, normally. I don’t like the idea of taking a chance on scamming a friend of Omaren.”

  Gaden picked it up, and a voice suddenly spoke.

  “Oh, great. Even further from the chance of escape. A tattered boy off the street.”

  Gaden looked around in surprise, but saw no one.

  “Is there something wrong?” The shopkeeper asked.

  “No, not at all.” Gaden said, looking at the ring. “I’ll take it.” He said, handing the coins to the shopkeeper, and the strange voice groaned.

  Gaden held the ring in his hand, not putting it on yet, and left the shop, waving to the shopkeeper before stepping outside.

  He walked for some time, looking for a quiet place, but the town was in the middle of its busy evening-time, so it took some time walking before he found an alleyway in relative privacy. The whole while, he heard the strange voice ranting, cursing the acquiring of the ring.

  Gaden stopped, leaning against the wall, and opened his hand to stare at the ring.

  “What are you?” He asked.

  “Are you…?” The strange voice asked, startled.

  “Addressing you? Yes.” Gaden replied. “So, what are you, and why can only I hear you?”

  “Oh, thank the Arbiter. I have at last been granted an escape.”

  “So, what are you? Are you… the ring?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes. My soul is embedded within this cursed piece of jewelry.”

  “And why can you only speak to me?”

  “Being the ring is still a new existence for me. I have not yet accustomed myself to this form. I cannot speak to those foreign to the power of Aether.”

  “And I am connected to it.” Gaden said, finishing the thought.

  “Indeed. And may I ask which of the four you happen to belong to?”

  “The four?” Gaden asked, confused.

  “Four methods. Four expressions. The way in which your Aether manifests.”

  “Are you meaning my nature as an Occultist?” Gaden asked.

  “Ah, an Occultist. In that case, I suspect that my life has entered another era.”

  “My teacher will be wondering where I have gone if I do not return soon. I have been gone for a long time. I should perhaps introduce you to him, as well.”

  “That could be… enlightening.” The ring said.

  “Do you have a name?” Gaden asked.

  “My name?” The ring said, then fell silent. After a moment, it spoke again. “Apologies. It’s been too long since I have uttered my name.”

  It hesitated, then spoke. “My name… my name is Damad.”

  “Damad. Very well. My name is Gaden.”

  “Well met, Gaden.”

  Gaden slipped the ring onto his finger, and resumed his journey back towards the inn.

  After a period of walking, Gaden moved up to the door of the inn and opened it, before stepping inside.

  Just as he entered the inn, he noticed that Omaren had already returned from his excursion, and was waiting for Gaden at a table.

  Gaden walked to the table, set his blade to the side, and sat down with the strange warrior.

  “Gaden!” Omaren said. “I thought you’d have come back earlier. Were there really no acceptable blades nearby?”

  “I actually found this sword quickly. What took longer was… something else. Something… best discussed…” he said, turning to ensure there were no eavesdroppers, “in private.”

  Omaren nodded, then finished his drink, and stood. “In that case, let’s do just that.”

  They walked up the stairs towards their rooms, and Omaren stepped into his, Gaden following him only a moment later.

  Omaren closed the door, and sat down in a chair directly beside.

  “So, what happened?” He asked.

  “I found this ring at the store where I bought my sword. It’s… strange.”

  “Could I see it?” Omaren asked.

  Gaden took the ring off of his finger, and handed it over. Omaren looked at it closely, holding it between thumb and forefinger, and examined it.

  “It speaks.” Gaden said.

  Omaren looked sidelong at Gaden, before returning his gaze to the ring. “It spoke? To you?” He asked.

  “I did.” Damad’s voice echoed.

  Omaren pondered, his face strangely serious. He quietly spoke to the ring, and seemed to hear replies that Gaden could not.

  After a while of this silent conversation, Omaren nodded, and looked back up at Gaden.

  “So? What is it?” Gaden asked.

  “You’ll need a better explanation of Occultism first.” Omaren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is much earlier than I had hoped. I wanted to have already explained everything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, first off, as you would understand in the future when it happened, Occultists have the singular power of taking the abilities of an Aether user they have killed, which they can then imbue into any item they carry.”

  He held up the ring. “This ring contains the spirit related to someone’s Aether ability, probably an Architect. But this one is strange. Spirits are made already given the tools to communicate. This one should not be having trouble. What’s more, after our conversation, it retreated, not wanting to say any more. Very few spirits act in this way. Regardless, it can be a useful tool for you, though it will impede you in the future.” He said.

  “Impede me? In what way?” Gaden asked.

  “An Occultist has a limited number of items they are able to sustain. You currently have a limit of two, and that ring is now taking up one.’

  “How did it become connected to me?”

  “An Occultist can relinquish an imbued item to another. The only qualifications for doing so are that both parties must be willing, and the one taking the item must have open space for the item. It’s just not done that often, though, since powerful items are kept by the user, and Occultists rarely take weaker abilities that they would want to relinquish for fear that there would be none willing to receive them, and there would be no way of getting rid of the item.”

  Omaren began pacing. “And this ring is an item that has been relinquished to you. Why it saw the conditions as being fulfilled, we can only guess. Aether is strange. We can’t really predict it. My guess is that your choice to buy it was interpreted as acceptance of the relinquishing.”

  “And you can’t ever get rid of an imbued item without giving it away?”

  “Never.” Omaren said. “Which is why I wanted to have told you this earlier. Taking an object is a momentous decision. I slacked on my teaching. I just didn’t expect an imbued item to literally fall into your hands this early.”

  They sat silently for a moment, before Gaden stood.

  “Well, it can’t be helped now.” He said.

  “True. This just means you will have to act with greater caution in the future.” He said, standing, and held out the ring.

  Gaden took it, and picked up his sword again.

  “In the morning, we have somewhere to be.” Omaren said. “I happened to find our next target.”

  Gaden nodded, and put on the ring again as he stepped outside of the room.

  “Rest well,” said Omaren as Gaden closed the door.

  Gaden entered his own room, and set his sword to the side before laying down to rest.