Lightweaver2’s Novel

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

6 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Ooh, I enjoyed that a lot!! Thieves are such fun characters to write, I really like the way you explain your magic too  

Thank you! I agree, thieves are very fun to write.

 And I’ve kept my commitment of 1 chapter each week, so I’ve once again avoided the pointy writing stick  

Edited December 7, 2023 by Ookla the foolish

[Edema Rue she/her]

Fear my pointy writing stick  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

Chapter 3, not my best work but it's here.

Spoiler

“I’ll give you fifty senines for the goblet,” Simon said. Levi and Anson had gone to his shop right after they had left Galahad’s mansion, thinking it best to get rid of the evidence of their travel there. Simon was often the one they delivered their stolen goods to, he gave them a fair price and wouldn’t sell them out to Galahad. He didn’t bargain though, so there was no use trying to get more than an item was worth..
“We’ll take it,” Anson said as Levi grabbed a pouch of coins Simon had placed on the counter in front of them. As Levi and Anson left, Levi still felt like something was watching him, despite the negative effects of his Manna usage beginning to wear off. Anson seemed to notice Levi’s nervousness, because as soon as they left Simon’s shop he turned and said, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really,” he said quickly, then added, “I just have the feeling that someone’s following us. I don't know why but I keep feeling it, and the feeling’s getting stronger. I’m not sure what it is,” Levi replied.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, everything went perfect today. But I’ll keep my eyes peeled”
It had been like this for three years, ever since Levi and Anson had aged out of the orphanage. They had lived on the streets, robbing the wealthy to stay fed. Nobody wanted to hire a teenage urchin, and even if they did Anson and Levi would never get a job, both were skinny and underfed. And of course they couldn’t try to get a job with their Manna, that would draw the eyes of Galahad’s minions. So they stuck to thievery, which had worked pretty well so far. 
Anson stepped into an alleyway and Levi followed him, both of them ducking under a small tarp that served as their home. It wasn’t much, but it provided shelter and people ignored it. 
Levi sighed, laying down on the hard floor. He wished they could afford to have mattresses, but they were one of the most valuable commodities of the thieving underground. The one time Levi and Anson had purchased one, it had been stolen before the day ended. But it was home, and it was better than what a lot of other people had. It had been a good day, Anson was right, his feeling of something watching him had dissipated. Then, only a couple minutes later, he heard Anson gasp quietly.
“What is it?” Levi said.
“I think you were right, we might have been followed. I see that guard from earlier standing outside. She’s watching us, but she isn’t wearing her armor anymore, she probably doesn’t want to be recognized as one of Galahad’s soldiers,” he said.
“I don’t blame her, remember the last one that got taken by the revolution?” Levi asked.  Galahad was a sadistic and horrible man, but some of the revolutionaries were almost as bad.
“What should we do about it?” Levi asked.
“I think we should just wait,” Anson said back. “She must want something from us, otherwise she would have gone back to the duke instead of waiting outside. She’ll do something eventually, and when she does we’ll be ready.”
And so they waited. And waited. And waited. Then, around midnight, Anson woke Levi. They had each taken turns keeping watch, a habit they had started after someone had seen them enter their home and then tried to rob them.
“She’s gone,” he said. It took Levi a moment to realize what he meant, but then he understood.
“We should follow her,” Levi said quickly. He rose, still a little groggy, and stepped out of their house. “Which way did she go?” Levi asked in a whisper. Anson pointed down the street and they hurried that way, trying to be as quiet as possible. Levi saw a shadow move ahead of them and turn around the corner. He chased after it, Anson trailing behind him. He turned the corner and saw the guard running down the street. He was about to start sprinting, heedless of the noise it would make, when he felt hands grab him by the mouth and pull him into an alleyway.
“Don’t move and stay silent,” someone said behind him. It was a woman’s voice, but Levi had learned quickly that women could be just as dangerous as men, if not more so. And another person tries to mug me, he thought. He faintly remembered days before Galahad’s conquest, when people hadn’t perpetually worried about being attacked, but those days were gone. They must not realize I’m a Shaper, no one in their right mind would try to mug one. 
He waited, preparing himself. The best thing to do for now was do what she said, she probably wouldn’t hurt him if he did that. Eventually, she pulled the knife away, giving Levi an unexpected but welcome opportunity. He used Manna to strengthen his neck and skull and smashed the back of his head into his attacker’s nose. He heard it crunch, and knew it had broken. Blood ran down his skull, but he ignored it, he was used to blood by now. He spun, whipping out his dagger and looking at the woman . It was the guard, as he had suspected. He hesitated, then, without lowering his weapon, he asked, “Who are you?”
She tried to wipe her face clean, but only made the blood flow worse. “I’m here to try to overthrow Galahad,” she said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “Avery said that that would make you less likely to hurt me, I guess I should have said it earlier.”
“Levi, where are you?” Anson said from the street, sounding worried.
“I’m in here, I found the guard,” he yelled, not taking his eyes off of the girl. Anson walked into the alleyway, stepping over to stand next to Levi. He looked towards the guard. “Who are you?”
    “My name is Phoebe, I’m a member of a group called the Shapeless. Our goal is to overthrow Galahad, although we’re pretty far away from that. We’re hoping that you can help us. Before you ask, no, we aren’t part of the revolution, but we do want to collaborate with them to achieve our common goal, Galahad dead and the destruction of his empire.”
    “But why does that involve us? What can we do that makes us special?” Anson asked.
    “Naturally, we want to recruit as many Shapers as possible, but our leader sent me here to find you two specifically. I don’t know why, but he believes you will give us the edge we need to find and overthrow Galahad. He said something about using your tragic past to rile the people up.”
    “How much has he been watching us?” Levi asked, suspicious.
    “He worked with your parents and disagreed with what Isaac did. He barely managed to escape Galahad’s wrath and almost instantaneously began working against him. He still won't tell us what weapon he and your parents were designing, he says if we knew we would try to make it. He says using it would destroy not just us and Galahad, but the entire world. I do know that it had something to do with Shaping though, some new way to use it or something like that.
    Levi felt a pang of sadness when Phoebe mentioned his parents, as he usually did when he thought of them. After a second, Anson looked toward Levi, then turned to Phoebe. “We’re interested, tell us more.”
    “I haven’t been a part of the group for very long, so I don’t know too much more. Our leader has been quietly opposing Galahad for several years. He hasn’t been very successful, and he thinks we need to try something a little bit more ambitious. He hasn’t said what exactly that would be, but it would be something big, like taking back the city of Renala.
    Anson whistled quietly. “That’s quite the undertaking. What makes you think you can succeed?”
    “Our leader is brilliant. He hasn’t been successful in the past because he didn’t try anything big and didn’t have the manpower to do so even if he had wanted to. But we’re recruiting you two, and two more Shapers will definitely increase our chances of doing something. And if he’s right, and your stories will help us have the people revolt, then you are invaluable. We need you.”
⤞⤝⤞⤝
“I think we should go with her,” Levi said. “I want to make a difference.”
“You’re just saying that because you think she’s pretty,” Anson retorted.
“No I’m not, what, do you think we shouldn’t go with her? Do you want to continue stealing from Galahad, pretending like he notices? Pretending that we’ve been doing something important?” It hurt Levi to say that, to say that their entire lives had been nearly pointless. But maybe they hadn’t been, maybe their lives had just been leading them to this decision. They jst had to make the right one.
“I never said that, I think we should go too, I was just teasing you. I want to see Galahad fall just as much as you do, you know that.”
“So you want to go with Phoebe?”
“I do, she’ll take us to whoever this brilliant leader of hers is, and we can get more details from him.”
Levi and Anson both stepped out from their shelter, walking over to where Phoebe was.
“Ok, we’ve decided, we’re coming with you, and we’ll decide if we’re going to stay with your group after we meet this brilliant leader of yours,” Anson said.
“Good, how soon will you be ready to leave the city?” she asked.
 

 

[Edema Rue she/her]

9 hours ago, Ookla the foolish said:

Chapter 3, not my best work but it's here.

  Reveal hidden contents

“I’ll give you fifty senines for the goblet,” Simon said. Levi and Anson had gone to his shop right after they had left Galahad’s mansion, thinking it best to get rid of the evidence of their travel there. Simon was often the one they delivered their stolen goods to, he gave them a fair price and wouldn’t sell them out to Galahad. He didn’t bargain though, so there was no use trying to get more than an item was worth..
“We’ll take it,” Anson said as Levi grabbed a pouch of coins Simon had placed on the counter in front of them. As Levi and Anson left, Levi still felt like something was watching him, despite the negative effects of his Manna usage beginning to wear off. Anson seemed to notice Levi’s nervousness, because as soon as they left Simon’s shop he turned and said, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really,” he said quickly, then added, “I just have the feeling that someone’s following us. I don't know why but I keep feeling it, and the feeling’s getting stronger. I’m not sure what it is,” Levi replied.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, everything went perfect today. But I’ll keep my eyes peeled”
It had been like this for three years, ever since Levi and Anson had aged out of the orphanage. They had lived on the streets, robbing the wealthy to stay fed. Nobody wanted to hire a teenage urchin, and even if they did Anson and Levi would never get a job, both were skinny and underfed. And of course they couldn’t try to get a job with their Manna, that would draw the eyes of Galahad’s minions. So they stuck to thievery, which had worked pretty well so far. 
Anson stepped into an alleyway and Levi followed him, both of them ducking under a small tarp that served as their home. It wasn’t much, but it provided shelter and people ignored it. 
Levi sighed, laying down on the hard floor. He wished they could afford to have mattresses, but they were one of the most valuable commodities of the thieving underground. The one time Levi and Anson had purchased one, it had been stolen before the day ended. But it was home, and it was better than what a lot of other people had. It had been a good day, Anson was right, his feeling of something watching him had dissipated. Then, only a couple minutes later, he heard Anson gasp quietly.
“What is it?” Levi said.
“I think you were right, we might have been followed. I see that guard from earlier standing outside. She’s watching us, but she isn’t wearing her armor anymore, she probably doesn’t want to be recognized as one of Galahad’s soldiers,” he said.
“I don’t blame her, remember the last one that got taken by the revolution?” Levi asked.  Galahad was a sadistic and horrible man, but some of the revolutionaries were almost as bad.
“What should we do about it?” Levi asked.
“I think we should just wait,” Anson said back. “She must want something from us, otherwise she would have gone back to the duke instead of waiting outside. She’ll do something eventually, and when she does we’ll be ready.”
And so they waited. And waited. And waited. Then, around midnight, Anson woke Levi. They had each taken turns keeping watch, a habit they had started after someone had seen them enter their home and then tried to rob them.
“She’s gone,” he said. It took Levi a moment to realize what he meant, but then he understood.
“We should follow her,” Levi said quickly. He rose, still a little groggy, and stepped out of their house. “Which way did she go?” Levi asked in a whisper. Anson pointed down the street and they hurried that way, trying to be as quiet as possible. Levi saw a shadow move ahead of them and turn around the corner. He chased after it, Anson trailing behind him. He turned the corner and saw the guard running down the street. He was about to start sprinting, heedless of the noise it would make, when he felt hands grab him by the mouth and pull him into an alleyway.
“Don’t move and stay silent,” someone said behind him. It was a woman’s voice, but Levi had learned quickly that women could be just as dangerous as men, if not more so. And another person tries to mug me, he thought. He faintly remembered days before Galahad’s conquest, when people hadn’t perpetually worried about being attacked, but those days were gone. They must not realize I’m a Shaper, no one in their right mind would try to mug one. 
He waited, preparing himself. The best thing to do for now was do what she said, she probably wouldn’t hurt him if he did that. Eventually, she pulled the knife away, giving Levi an unexpected but welcome opportunity. He used Manna to strengthen his neck and skull and smashed the back of his head into his attacker’s nose. He heard it crunch, and knew it had broken. Blood ran down his skull, but he ignored it, he was used to blood by now. He spun, whipping out his dagger and looking at the woman . It was the guard, as he had suspected. He hesitated, then, without lowering his weapon, he asked, “Who are you?”
She tried to wipe her face clean, but only made the blood flow worse. “I’m here to try to overthrow Galahad,” she said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “Avery said that that would make you less likely to hurt me, I guess I should have said it earlier.”
“Levi, where are you?” Anson said from the street, sounding worried.
“I’m in here, I found the guard,” he yelled, not taking his eyes off of the girl. Anson walked into the alleyway, stepping over to stand next to Levi. He looked towards the guard. “Who are you?”
    “My name is Phoebe, I’m a member of a group called the Shapeless. Our goal is to overthrow Galahad, although we’re pretty far away from that. We’re hoping that you can help us. Before you ask, no, we aren’t part of the revolution, but we do want to collaborate with them to achieve our common goal, Galahad dead and the destruction of his empire.”
    “But why does that involve us? What can we do that makes us special?” Anson asked.
    “Naturally, we want to recruit as many Shapers as possible, but our leader sent me here to find you two specifically. I don’t know why, but he believes you will give us the edge we need to find and overthrow Galahad. He said something about using your tragic past to rile the people up.”
    “How much has he been watching us?” Levi asked, suspicious.
    “He worked with your parents and disagreed with what Isaac did. He barely managed to escape Galahad’s wrath and almost instantaneously began working against him. He still won't tell us what weapon he and your parents were designing, he says if we knew we would try to make it. He says using it would destroy not just us and Galahad, but the entire world. I do know that it had something to do with Shaping though, some new way to use it or something like that.
    Levi felt a pang of sadness when Phoebe mentioned his parents, as he usually did when he thought of them. After a second, Anson looked toward Levi, then turned to Phoebe. “We’re interested, tell us more.”
    “I haven’t been a part of the group for very long, so I don’t know too much more. Our leader has been quietly opposing Galahad for several years. He hasn’t been very successful, and he thinks we need to try something a little bit more ambitious. He hasn’t said what exactly that would be, but it would be something big, like taking back the city of Renala.
    Anson whistled quietly. “That’s quite the undertaking. What makes you think you can succeed?”
    “Our leader is brilliant. He hasn’t been successful in the past because he didn’t try anything big and didn’t have the manpower to do so even if he had wanted to. But we’re recruiting you two, and two more Shapers will definitely increase our chances of doing something. And if he’s right, and your stories will help us have the people revolt, then you are invaluable. We need you.”
⤞⤝⤞⤝
“I think we should go with her,” Levi said. “I want to make a difference.”
“You’re just saying that because you think she’s pretty,” Anson retorted.
“No I’m not, what, do you think we shouldn’t go with her? Do you want to continue stealing from Galahad, pretending like he notices? Pretending that we’ve been doing something important?” It hurt Levi to say that, to say that their entire lives had been nearly pointless. But maybe they hadn’t been, maybe their lives had just been leading them to this decision. They jst had to make the right one.
“I never said that, I think we should go too, I was just teasing you. I want to see Galahad fall just as much as you do, you know that.”
“So you want to go with Phoebe?”
“I do, she’ll take us to whoever this brilliant leader of hers is, and we can get more details from him.”
Levi and Anson both stepped out from their shelter, walking over to where Phoebe was.
“Ok, we’ve decided, we’re coming with you, and we’ll decide if we’re going to stay with your group after we meet this brilliant leader of yours,” Anson said.
“Good, how soon will you be ready to leave the city?” she asked.
 

 

Yay! Sometimes that's how it goes, but now it exists and you can always edit it later. I enjoyed it!  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

7 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Yay! Sometimes that's how it goes, but now it exists and you can always edit it later. I enjoyed it!  

Thanks Eddie. I’ll definitely be back to edit it (again).

[Edema Rue she/her]

*pokes gently with a writing stick*

(yes I know it's only been like 3 days but I want more)

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

*pokes gently with a writing stick*

(yes I know it's only been like 3 days but I want more)

Appreciates poke. I will work for at least an hour tomorrow, the next chapter will be out hopefully by Wednesday.

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

I wish

 (not a happy poem)

Spoiler

I wish I had

a reason to be

 I wish I had

 the strength I need 

I wish I had

 friends who understood

 when I need someone

 that will help me

 not drag me down

 I wish I had

 people that knew when

 I’m struggling and failing 

to find any reason

 that I should be

 I wish I had

 someone who would accept

 me and all of 

my failings and problems

 I wish I had

 the motivation to do

what needs to be done

 I wish I knew

 what needs to be done.

 The way I see it

 there are two options

 neither of which I’m

 strong enough to do

 I wish I was.

Not about anyone on the shard, I just mean people IRL.

[Just a Silvereye he/him]

12 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

I wish

 (not a happy poem)

  Reveal hidden contents

I wish I had

a reason to be

 I wish I had

 the strength I need 

I wish I had

 friends who understood

 when I need someone

 that will help me

 not drag me down

 I wish I had

 people that knew when

 I’m struggling and failing 

to find any reason

 that I should be

 I wish I had

 someone who would accept

 me and all of 

my failings and problems

 I wish I had

 the motivation to do

what needs to be done

 I wish I knew

 what needs to be done.

 The way I see it

 there are two options

 neither of which I’m

 strong enough to do

 I wish I was.

Not about anyone on the shard, I just mean people IRL.

*hugs*

If you need to talk, we're all here.

[Edema Rue she/her]

33 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

I wish

 (not a happy poem)

  Reveal hidden contents

I wish I had

a reason to be

 I wish I had

 the strength I need 

I wish I had

 friends who understood

 when I need someone

 that will help me

 not drag me down

 I wish I had

 people that knew when

 I’m struggling and failing 

to find any reason

 that I should be

 I wish I had

 someone who would accept

 me and all of 

my failings and problems

 I wish I had

 the motivation to do

what needs to be done

 I wish I knew

 what needs to be done.

 The way I see it

 there are two options

 neither of which I’m

 strong enough to do

 I wish I was.

Not about anyone on the shard, I just mean people IRL.

*big hugs* 

It hurts, sometimes. I'm not going to explain your pain away, because I feel it too and I know that won't help, just...I'm here.  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

40 minutes ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

*hugs*

If you need to talk, we're all here.

 

19 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

*big hugs* 

It hurts, sometimes. I'm not going to explain your pain away, because I feel it too and I know that won't help, just...I'm here.  

Thanks guys. Today’s not being a great day, and the people I’ve been around aren’t making it any better.

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

59 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

I wish

 (not a happy poem)

  Hide contents

I wish I had

a reason to be

 I wish I had

 the strength I need 

I wish I had

 friends who understood

 when I need someone

 that will help me

 not drag me down

 I wish I had

 people that knew when

 I’m struggling and failing 

to find any reason

 that I should be

 I wish I had

 someone who would accept

 me and all of 

my failings and problems

 I wish I had

 the motivation to do

what needs to be done

 I wish I knew

 what needs to be done.

 The way I see it

 there are two options

 neither of which I’m

 strong enough to do

 I wish I was.

Not about anyone on the shard, I just mean people IRL.

*pulls everyone into a group hug*

Yeah...it reminds me of a song I love

"There are no words in times like these

Where tears don't hide the tragedies 

And all you want is a reason for the world."

So we're here. Just here to cry with you and mourn with you. We're just here for you

[Edema Rue she/her]

35 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

 

Thanks guys. Today’s not being a great day, and the people I’ve been around aren’t making it any better.

*hugs* we’re people, and we’ll be around, but…ugh. I’m so sorry.

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

9 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

*hugs* we’re people, and we’ll be around, but…ugh. I’m so sorry.

You are, that’s why I’ve been on almost constantly today, you all are so much better than the friends I have at school.

42 minutes ago, Ookla the Raveness said:

*pulls everyone into a group hug*

Yeah...it reminds me of a song I love

"There are no words in times like these

Where tears don't hide the tragedies 

And all you want is a reason for the world."

So we're here. Just here to cry with you and mourn with you. We're just here for you

Thanks Wiz 

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

You are, that’s why I’ve been on almost constantly today, you all are so much better than the friends I have at school.

Thanks Wiz 

Yeah...I understand that a lot... *hugs more*

[Edema Rue she/her]

42 minutes ago, Ookla the foolish said:

You are, that’s why I’ve been on almost constantly today, you all are so much better than the friends I have at school.

Thanks Wiz 

As do I…I hope it’ll be better someday.

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

Chapter 4

Spoiler

“Leave the city?” Anson asked, confused.

“Yes, leave the city, what did you think we would be staying here?” She gave an annoying little laugh. “Of course we’re leaving the city.”

“Why would we leave the city?” Levi asked. “Galahad and his men are here in the city, and so is the rebellion. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to start working here and have the rest of your friends come join us?” Levi asked argumentatively.

“I don’t know, maybe, but we’re supposed to go meet in Melita. Anyway, you said you wanted to meet our leader before you decided to join us, well he’s not here. He’s there.” She said, giving another tinkling laugh. “Now you guys should gather your things and let’s go.”

Phoebe acted like they had much to gather. Levi was starting to really dislike this girl.She was so bossy and acted so superior. They had the money from Simon, but other than that they didn’t have much, just a change of clothes each and a few mementos from the city. “Fine,” Levi said, not able to come up with another argument for why they should stay. They grabbed their stuff and packed it in a couple of ragged bags. People were generally less likely to take your stuff if it didn’t look valuable. Levi also made sure to have his daggers at his belt, plainly in sight, which also tended to dissuade people from attacking. 

“Alright, we’re ready,” Anson said.

“Already? You guys are fast!”

“That’s what happens when you don’t own much,” Levi said, trying to pass it off as a joke but not quite succeeding in taking the bitterness out of his tone. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“He’s just teasing you,” Anson said with a sigh, even though he could probably tell that Levi wasn’t. “We know we don’t have much but we also know many people with a lot less than us. Don’t let him get to you.”

“Well, if you are ready, let's go, we have to travel halfway across the world to get to Melita.”

“I know, just because I haven’t left the city doesn’t mean that I’m an idiot. Melita is around seven days away when traveling at caravan pace, but we can get there in four if we go fast. Maybe three if we need to and use our Manna well,” Levi said.

“I wasn’t implying that… you know what, never mind, let's get going. And if you’re so knowledgeable Levi, why don’t you show us which way to go,” Phoebe retorted. Levi stepped out of the small house and took a left. “It’s that way,” Phoebe said, pointing to the right. “I’ll lead.” She took them across the city to the western gate.

The city was surprisingly silent, even for the night. It usually had urchins running around the streets, beggars at each corner, people bustling around and even the occasional noble’s carriage. This night, though, very few people were in sight. As they approached the gate, an old woman was begging at the entrance to an alleyway, the first beggar they had seen all night. As they neared her, she stood and Levi recognized her as the crazy lady, Cathy.

“Ah, Anson! Cathy sees you, just because she’s blind doesn’t mean she can’t know when my favorite little Shaper passes me,” a voice said from the shadows. “Come over here and give Cathy some of those coins I hear.”

This old lady was as batty as Lev had seen in all of his time on the streets. No one knew her real name, her age, or even if she was even really a girl. Levi thought she was, but she was so old it was hard to tell. She was usually a grumpy old lady who generally commanded that people give her money rather than asking for it, but for some reason she had a soft spot for Anson.

“Hi Cathy,” Anson said sufferingly.

“Hello Anson,” she said cheerfully, not seeming to care about his exasperated tone. “Where are Cathy’s coins, an old lady like her needs money to survive.” Anson reluctantly passed a couple of coins to her. “Thank you!” she said with delight, grabbing them with a deft hand. “And because you are so generous, dear boy, Cathy thought you would like to know that some of Galahad’s soldiers are looking for you. Luckily for you, Cathy’s here. She knows you need a way out of the city and knows just the place.”

It was times like these that made Levi wonder if she was a Shaper. She may have been crazy, but she seemed to know everything of importance that was happening in the city, as well as countless secret passages.

“What? How do you know that?” Anson asked. “Actually, that’s not important right now. Where is this secret exit you were talking about? If Galahad’s people are looking for us we can’t just go through the front gate.”

Cathy stood up slowly, then motioned for them to follow her. She limped through the streets, taking them to a building bordering the city wall. She ducked in, and the rest of them followed. It looked like a regular home, though smaller than most. It contained a stove, a fireplace, a couple of armchairs and a small rug. Cathy stepped forward next to one of the armchairs, pointing to it.

“Boy! Come move this for Cathy!” she commanded, speaking to Levi with none of the fondness that she had for Anson. He stepped forward and shoved on the armchair. It didn’t move. Cathy cackled. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” Levi summoned his Manna, giving himself increased strength. Immediately he felt the effects of his Manna use clouding his mind. Gritting his teeth and shoving with all of his might, he inched the armchair aside, revealing a trapdoor where it had been.

“I thought those belonged under the rug, not the armchair,” Phoebe said.

“Which is exactly why we hide it under the chair girl,” Cathy said condescendingly. “Anson, please open the door.” Anson did so, revealing a tunnel with a ladder leading down it.  “Now grab the torch there and go.”

Anson took the torch that Cathy had pointed to and lit it with a flame from his finger. He held it toward the tunnel and started climbing down one handed. It looked hard, but he managed. Phoebe followed him then Levi started going down. The trapdoor above them closed and Levi heard scraping as something slid over the trapdoor.

“She is strong,” Phoebe whispered.

It took Levi a few seconds to process her comment and  think of an answer, but then he replied. “I think she’s a Shaper.”

“Yeah, she is,” Anson said. “She told me a long time ago. She just must not like you enough Levi to tell you.” Phoebe snickered at that, and Levi could practically hear Anson’s grin as he reached the end of the ladder. Levi stepped off, dropping down to the cold stone floor. The tunnel was damp, small, and cramped. In other words, it was not any different than many places Levi had spent the night. Phoebe must have not had the same experiences though, she reached out and touched the wall, then quickly withdrew her hand.

“Yuck!,” she said, shaking her hand and flinging slime onto Levi’s face. “Let's get out of this place.” She pushed Anson forward, and they started walking. At one point Anson almost stepped on a couple rats and Phoebe shrieked as they scurried past her. Levi laughed, and she glared at him. Well, let her hate him, why should he care?

Eventually the tunnel sloped up until they came to what seemed like a cave in. A large boulder blocked their path, surrounded by smaller pieces of rubble.

“I knew something was wrong with this,” Levi said. “Cathy misled us, this probably happened years ago and she just forgot!”

“I think you might be jumping to conclusions,” Anson said, leaning against the boulder. I’ve never seen Cathy be wrong.” He pushed against the boulder and rolled it out of the way. “See, what did I tell you.”

Sunlight poured into the tunnel, nearly blinding Levi. And the air around him smelled… different, free from the stink of the city. He liked it, it was refreshing. He stepped out, bathing in the light for a moment, letting it soak into his skin. Anson extinguished his torch then stepped next to Levi. Phoebe joined them a moment later after rolling the large boulder back into place. So she was a Shaper, Levi had expected as much.

“Stop staring into the distance like one of the Pioneers and come on, we’ve got to get going,” she said, walking towards a nearby road. She seemed to still be mad at him about the rats. Levi was excited to see her reaction when she realized he had slipped one into her handbag. He looked towards the road, then traced it back to the city. It looked so small from here! He followed Phoebe, with Anson right behind him.

 

[Edema Rue she/her]

Yay, words!!

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

1 hour ago, Edema Rue said:

Yay, words!!

Indeed

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

*prods gently*

 

I'm a writing Stick 

I reserve my right to poke people!  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

11 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

*prods gently*

 

I'm a writing Stick 

I reserve my right to poke people!  

I will write, the next chapter will be out by next Wednesday. Thank you for caring!

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Lightweaver2 said:

I will write, the next chapter will be out by next Wednesday. Thank you for caring!

*excited*

Of course!  

I'll look forward to it  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

Sorry to anyone that has been awaiting the next chapter, life has been rough recently, but I’m really going to try to start writing again.

[Edema Rue she/her]

10 minutes ago, Lightweaver2 said:

Sorry to anyone that has been awaiting the next chapter, life has been rough recently, but I’m really going to try to start writing again.

Otay! We eagerly await it *hugs*

[Shardwatcher01 he/him]

On 11/27/2023 at 9:33 PM, Lightweaver2 said:

Ok…here we go. I haven’t really shared my work before and it’s not complete and I’m still going to edit it, but I think that I won’t be too embarrassed letting other people see it. I’ll try to get a chapter out every week, as long as people are still reading it.

 

Prologue 

  Reveal hidden contents

“Mother, why do I have to go to bed, it’s only sundown,” Levi cried.

“It’s your bedtime, and you stayed up late last night. Anson’s parents made him go to bed over an hour ago and I didn’t hear him whining from across the street,” his mother said, exasperated.

“Fine mother,” Levi said glumly as he started up the stairs, where he watched his mother sit down, exhausted. She seemed worried about something. Levi might have only been six, but he could tell when his mother was worried. Something was very wrong. He went up to his room, hoping that if he listened to her maybe she would be less worried. A couple of minutes later, Levi heard a knock and his mother sigh in relief. 

“You’re back, I was worried, you were away for so long!” she said. 

“It’s okay, we should be safe for a short time,” Levi’s father said. “I’m not sure how long my distraction will last, but we need to go now. Knowing Isaac it won’t take him long to find us.”

“I’ll go get Levi,” his mother said, sounding urgent. What is going on? Levi thought, confused. His mother entered his room, looking even more worried than before.

“Levi, we need to go now,” she said in a hushed tone. Levi could tell that this wasn’t something to complain or argue about. He followed her out the door, stopping only to grab Scales, his stuffed lizard. He continued after her down the stairs, where he saw his father packing a small rucksack with food. And… was that a sword on his belt? Levi had seen it hanging on the wall before, but he’d never thought his father actually knew how to use it!

“Tom, I’m worried,” Levi’s mother said. “Something doesn’t feel right about all of this,” she said.

“I know, I feel it too, that’s why we’re leaving,” Levi’s father said. He tied his rucksack and slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” He was taking a step towards the door when it was knocked off its hinges. A tall, thin man stood outside, flanked by a bulky man and an aged  woman.

“Isaac,” Levi’s father hissed.

“Thomas,” the man said curtly. “You know why I’m here. You and your wife can come with me and I will spare your son. Or, you can force my hand and make me kill all three you.”

What was going on? Levi’s mind raced, but he couldn’t make sense of any of it. Everything was happening so fast. Levi’s father glanced at Levi’s mother, who nodded her head in submission. “It’s alright Tom,” she said consolingly. “We have to go with him.”

“I know,” he said.

“Excellent choice, my friend. However, I must say I wish you would have fought. I would have liked to see the look on your son’s face when I killed you both. But, my word is the one thing you can trust about me. Your son will be safe.” The man smiled, a cold, bloodcurdling smile. Then he looked directly at Levi, and his smile grew wider. Levi felt as if the man was staring past Levi’s eyes and directly into his soul.

“He will be safe, but not because of your word. We already learned not to trust that. You know what power he has and want to use it for yourself. You have no right to call me friend,” Levi’s father spat, causing Levi to jump at the tone of his voice. His father had never spoken like that, even when Levi and Anson had nearly burnt down the house. Isaac turned his head to look back at Levi’s father, his smile disappearing. He motioned with his hand and the brutish man stepped forward, taking out two pairs of manacles, both studded with glass to prevent Shaping. 

Levi’s father turned and looked at Levi. “I love you my son.” He winced as the man clamped the manacles around his arms, then shuddered, seeming to shrink and become less confident. The man stepped over to Levi’s mother, thenforced the second set of manacles onto her wrists, then dragging her toward the door. She looked at Levi as she began to be pulled out of sight, Isaac taking Levi’s father after her.

“I will see you again,” Levi’s mother said. Levi knew that tone, she wasn’t lying.

Both of his parents were gone, just like that. Isaac returned a moment later, looking at Levi with that same sadistic smile.

“I will see that you are taken care of, just like your little friend from across the street. Madame Florence’s orphanage should do the trick.”

It was at that moment that Levi finally grew truly afraid. He hadn’t been able to process everything that had just happened, but he had heard rumors of Madame Florence’s orphanage. Rumors of dark magic and kids who weren’t quite the same after leaving it.

Isaac grabbed Levi, and he shuddered at the man’s icy cold grip. He escorted Levi outside, where they entered a carriage pulled by two small brown horses. Nothing conspicuous in the busy street. Levi was forced inside, and was taken to Duke Galahad’s keep, where Isaac told him he would wait until he saw his parents again. 

Levi tried not to sleep, waiting for his parents to come to him, so he could hear his father’s laugh or his mother’s loving touch. But eventually the events of the night took their tool and he fell into an uneasy sleep, where nightmares awaited him

He was woken the next day by a kindly woman who provided him with a large breakfast of extravagant foods he had never tasted before. Then she escorted him out into the courtyard, where he was finally able to see his parents. 

Right before the executioner’s ax fell, taking off his father’s head first, then his mother’s.

Levi was taken to Madame Florence’s orphanage that evening, where he found Anson in one of the small bedrooms, crying. His parents had been executed that day too, a few hours after Levi’s. They sat there in silence, mourning together, until they fell asleep.

The next morning, they received the news. Duke Galahad had conquered the entire world in the span of one night.

 

wow that’s great. Yea I totally agree KEEP WRITING.