Straightening up and gaining at least one millimeter of height, Darefei, the old geezer, yelled loud enough to degrade the health of my ears.

  “Starting. You are weak—not powerful enough for an heir, not in the least. If you could perform a miracle and defeat each heir in solo combat, maybe you could become powerful enough to be a weaker ruler.”

  The old geezer shook his head, his cascading hair and beard making the motion comically cute. It was hair care ad-worthy, but I’d still block it.

  “We don’t work on miracles. Furthermore, the heirs won’t line up for you to beat them one by one. They’ll all be warring among themselves as well. Some with troops, others alone, like Fion.”

  “Among the siblings, the only one known for renowned combat prowess is Aurore. The thought of losing her spot as the favored firstborn and the upcoming succession made her obsessed with power, rising through the military ranks faster than a comet.”

  The old geezer grinned. “That also becomes her weakness. Her power is known—encased in armor made of her own blood, she controls the metallic crimson as if it were her personal arsenal, shaping it into weapons on a whim.”

  “The price of that is energy. Every transformation takes a toll. Slowly but surely, she’ll be forced to rely solely on her strength and her weapon—though that’s still powerful enough to bat you away like a pebble. And she’s famous for increasing her power on a whim. No one knows the spell that fuels it, and no one has ever seen her true Erythocetes form.”

  “The other siblings never showed combat prowess like her. But as Fion demonstrated, that doesn’t mean they haven’t grown more powerful in the meantime. I saw them as adults only briefly when they visited Gervant Sangecarious. What they were as kids, when I watched my past master teach and care for them like his own children, isn’t enough to know what they are now.”

  “According to the information I gathered while scouting the top floors, Margonne was the first to fall. Her spells supported the strength of her Dominion’s Digit candidates, as well as her guards and supporters. But it wasn’t enough to give my past master and me time to help her. We could only steal some shards from her.”

  Darefei’s voice grew even more high-pitched. “Not that the monster didn’t get that and more by eating his own uncle whole! He didn’t even wait for the sharding process to finish!”

  After a few minutes of frowning, the old geezer continued. “Dwelling on the past won’t help us. I got some shards from Margonne, and my past master left some to me too, afraid he’d lose them. I had to hide like a child and shield myself with wards so the monsters wouldn’t find me. Even in his death, Gervant Sangecarious let me live, hoping one of his siblings would find me—to give them an edge, however small, and a warning about their monstrous brother!”

  He whisper in the wind: “...to not feel a bit of pity for their sibling, putting him down like the disease he is…”

  That last bit felt emotional. It seems even this old shortie has a soft side. Maybe I should see them more as people and less as creatures.

  Just a little bit.

  So, I won’t ask about these shards for now. Obviously, I want them, but my common sense is against it... for now.

  Better get back on topic. “So, what can I do? From what you’ve told me, these shards aren’t enough. Do I need to hunt wererats and vampires?”

  Frowning, Darefei continued, “You should speak their names correctly. It’s not just because of our bond that I can understand your concepts and language that I should accept you using derogatory terms. Through mind-speak, concepts are translated to the recipient based on what they understand. I doubt you even understand mindspeak, but anyone who speaks can hear you as well! If you find someone who does, remember what I told you!”

  Suddenly, something crashed into my head. Touching the wound, I smelled chalk. Fucking geezer.

  “You should think better with your head instead of spouting stupidity! I’m already speaking your stupid language!”

  Houonas intervened. “He is thy master. Thou should respect him as such.”

  “He isn’t my master until he acts like one! There’s nothing left of me for our bond to change. I’m already at the end of my life! So, if he wants my respect, help, and to be worthy of what my past master left, he needs to change his demeanor!”

  Who’s the one with a demeanor problem, old fart?! Wait— “Does mind-speak actually read minds?! Are you reading my thoughts right now?”

  The old fart gave a short laugh. “No, it’s separate. It’s something someone needs to do willingly! Only those who learn spells related to mind invasion can do it. Though I’ve heard rumors of more... invasive methods.”

  What kind of invasive? Damn, Darefei, better not to even ask. And fuck you, asshole. We’ll find a pet shop to groom you. Adding some pink laces to your beard would give you at least a few months of your youth back.

  “Alright, so after scolding me, you still haven’t explained what I should do.”

  That got him good. I could even see his long hairs vibrating with suppressed rage—or maybe it’s just the wind. Really luscious hair, though. Could make a bunch of white wigs.

  “...Right. So, you only have one choice! We only have one! After consuming the shards, you should hunt in the Pallid Glade, the palace gardens.”

  “Why? Wouldn’t any other heir have already done that?” That wouldn’t be the first thing to do, right? There were plenty of corpses at the palace’s entrance.

  “Use your head, you little—! Do you think the heirs would waste their time hunting little critters in the wilds while their siblings are fighting for the succession?! No, you’ll go out there and try to feed on the leftovers. Try to find something to eat, too—you look like dung!” This fucking geezer.

  “Like you look any better! Wait—no chalk! That was also my plan, and I’m just thirsty.” Maybe I should take a look at myself. “Don’t know why someone would put beasts in their garden, though.”

  Darefei shrugged. “Not a danger for most of us. Protection. And rulers will be rulers—a little extravagance goes a long way. Also, some are the past ruler’s bloodstock.”

  “Darefei, thou did not tell us about the contents of such possessions in thy hands,” Houonas interjected. Way to go, Houonas. I gave her a thumbs-up, though her only reply was an unblinking stare. Creepy.

  “And you should stop talking like that. Using the classic version or whatever you’re doing won’t make you look any older, kid. Just two dumb children wanting their shiny toys! Ha!” He pulled a box out of his body—or rather, from beneath all that hair. The old man really needs a trim.

  Opening it, the box shone like gemstones—but way more valuable. Even the big shards didn’t shine like that.

  “Is this the nexus shard?” If a shard should be special, it must be this one.

  “One of them. To the untrained eye, they all look the same when grouped. But the ones that aren't—you shouldn’t consume them, you hear me?! They’re too useful to be consumed for mere essence!”

  Essence. Seems I got that name right. I’m probably a genius in disguise.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “The lowest of them is called a seedling. The concept of shards is ingrained in us, but the names of their types aren’t. The bickering rulers reached a consensus, though some domains have their own names.”

  “After a seedling, also known as a seed, comes a spark—ten times the power of a seed.” Darefei pulled a large green shard—or should I say, a spark—from the chest.

  The old geezer flung the spark at me—at least not at my head.

  “After that is a core—a hundred times the power of a seed. A nexus? A thousand times!” He didn’t flick another shard at me this time. Miser.

  “Then comes a relic—ten thousand times. And yes, naming it ‘relic’ was a mistake. Too much confusion between a relic being a shard and a shard being a relic.”

  Hmm. “What are relics?”

  “Such a dumb question! I’m not wasting more chalk on you! A relic is an object with history, cultural relevance. Didn’t you go to school, a training center, or whatever they have in your world?!” The old geezer was furious. I almost pity the heirs who had to endure a childhood with him. “‘What-are-relics,’ he says. Ha, I'm joking!”, this fucking geezer.

  “Now, now, for relics, things start changing from common shards. They can be both remembrances of their past existences or actual artifacts with spells can be obtained from shards.” He pulled a light red shard that didn’t emit as bright a light as the others, but it was almost sacred, grabbing your attention with its subtle, enchanting glow. It reminded me of a sunset.

  “Such items are restricted to the powerful and their families in this domain. The past ruler used them as jewelry.” He handed the relic shard to Houonas.

  “Don’t underestimate their power. They’re like beings in a sense—none are equal. The one I gave to your prime digit”—weird title—“is one such relic. It was a failed artifact from a core shard, but it caught the eye of my past master. He had one of the most renowned artificers enhance it to a relic. It was incredibly expensive and time-consuming. I still had a head full of red hair when it was commissioned—probably three centuries ago.”

  “Also, it’s at the relic level that the shard’s aspect matters. As you can see, this relic shard isn’t just magic-tuned but also technology-tuned!” Yes, I obviously anyone could see that. This geezer.

  “Some spelltrees—or as you call them, constellations—”

  “Choir verses,” Houonas interjected, her tone harsh for the first time.

  “Who cares! The formal concept is spelltree. If your domain changes it, that’s your problem! This topic is problematic. Some people see it as music, others as a growing forest, a sea, or space—basically anything that makes sense to them and connects them to existence!”

  He continued, regaining some of his fervor. “The rulers want a standardized way to make the process easier to teach and replicate. I know some have a problem with that, but it’s no use wasting our time on discussions that won’t change it! Do you want him to survive or not?!”, the last part he said looking at Houonas.

  As for her she just glared at the old geezer, fuming.

  This time, I have to side with Darefei. I don’t see much of a problem here, having a standard is good. Must be something cultural.

  For me, they’re still constellations, though.

  “So, as I was saying, some... constellations require specific essence or attunement to improve. Shards also start having this attunement at the relic level. You can still consume them for most constellations, though.”

  The old geezer looked at Houonas. “Feel and remember the difference in the essence and how it directs energy. As Dominion’s Digit candidates, we can reach into the shard’s existence to determine if it’s an artifact or a remembrance, as well as its true aspect.” No yelling this time. Nice.

  “They are ten thousand times a seed. After that is a beacon—a hundred thousand times a seed. I’m not privy to too much information about them, only that the ruler of the domain I'm from possess at least one. Whether the past ruler of this domain had one, I don’t know.”

  “Isn’t that kind of a secret in your domain?”

  I could see the grin on his face even beneath all that hair. “My domain isn’t some... pardon my past master, but the Erythocetes are daisy-frolickers compared to my kind. We seek warmth deep in the earth because our mother star no longer shines! The last thing we fear is people driven by greed—they’re always full of loot!” He touched his belly and gave a hearty laugh. Scary.

  “Oh, most wondrous! A water being that endured the deep cold sea, only to lose its life in the presence of the sun.” Houonas touched my hand and, with it, gave me the shard—totally throwing the conversation into another topic.

  The pulse of energy she flowed into my hand felt melodic. Soon, I saw a glimpse of the shard’s existence—a thousand years of cold darkness, briefly interrupted by the warmth of the sun.

  The shard vanished, its essence and energy manifesting as a circle of water—a puddle—that floated in the air, its surface facing me like a mirror.

  In it, I saw my haggard face, my black hair darkened red by the blood of the wererats. My face, which I’d always questioned whether it was light brown or a dark shade of white, was now pure red from the rats’ blood.

  I really need a glass of water and a shower.

  “I know how you youngsters are always hasty, but you do know it’ll only become a shard again if destroyed or if the energy is drained, right?” Darefei pointed at the water mirror.

  “Anyway, having a Dominion’s Digit is useful for that. Without one, you’d need to waste time and energy figuring it out until you found the correct way!” He turned his index finger to me.

  “You should remember when to activate an artifact, because it’ll remain active until destroyed or drained. Both can be a hassle. Sometimes it’s better to have one working at all times; other times, only in moments of need.”

  The old geezer moved, gazing at the water mirror. “My past master used it as a shield. The spell of this one is...” He touched the water mirror and tried to push his finger through. Tried, because as soon as he did, the water froze.

  “...Ouch, freezing! Not only that, but the water replenishes itself with energy! The uses for him were multiple, as he was an ice mage. For you, it can serve as a shield—not much else. Nevertheless, depending on the impact, the shield can be destroyed in one shot, becoming a shard again, or endure enough to repair itself with its energy!”

  The old geezer moved toward me, handing me the chest.

  “One spark, two cores, and one nexus for biology essence. It would’ve been two if you weren’t so stupid!”

  “No regrets here,” I said, and I meant it.

  “You’ll regret it soon enough! You can count it yourself!”

  That I can. The nexus shard is blindingly bright, though strangely, it doesn’t hurt the eyes.

  Now, for the contents of the chest:

  - Biology: Two sparks, two cores, one nexus. 1,220 shards total.

  - Magic: Four cores, one nexus. 1,400 shards total.

  - Technology: One core. 100 shards total.

  - Divinity: One nexus. 1,000 shards total.

  All this haul just for enduring this hairball. Almost worth it.

  Yes, that divinity nexus shard is a real surprise. I wonder how they got it. Wait, speaking of getting it—

  I pointed at the water mirror. “Hey, Darefei, how did this...”

  “Its name is Sunkissed Mirror,” Houonas added.

  “Alright, the Sunkissed Mirror. How did it get essence? Does the vision cut some of its life hunting for shards?”

  Darefei clapped. “Nice one! No, only conscious beings can use shards. It naturally absorbed essence from its environment, as some conscious beings can as well. That’s why essence aspect is important to a planet—a change in it can be catastrophic!”

  He raised his index finger. “Another point: such beings can create shards when they cease to exist. Thus, a beast can grow stronger by eating another beast’s flesh. We can use their corpses to make items like weapons, accessories, and the like. Materials like metals are also known to absorb essence.”

  “So, animals can’t consume shards? What do they do with them?” Such a weird thing.

  “Oh! That means...” Houonas began.

  The old geezer pointed to both of us. “YES! They don’t consume them. Some use shards to attract prey, like us, or they just let them slowly degrade for their future generations. They can still take a nibble from us before the sharding process. However, the shards are up for grabs. And that’s what you’ll do—hunt for shards, both from your hunts and from others.”

  He grew pensive. “I just wish the palace’s workers hadn’t collected them all this time. Either way, you’ll find some.”

  Now I’m in. Time to get freaky.

  “Nice! No time to lose. Can I consume all of these shards?”

  “Go ahead, young boy! Normally, you’d want one of your Dominion’s Digits to check them, but not for these. I’ve already done that.”

  My favorite part of the day, consuming shards.