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I don’t remember when I fell asleep or how, but I woke up and the big beings were gone. I was able to get to my tunnels without a problem, so much of the design in this weird tower helped me. I started off looking for home, it was exactly how I left it. Something about that felt strange, the only thing gone were my food stores. I gripped the strap of my bag and heaved a sigh.
I started looking for the beings that were always here working. It was quiet, I never liked the quiet. That was how I wound up here, following the noisy beings. I couldn’t hear a single sound. There wasn’t even the hum of technology. I went straight to the center of the tower.
I poked my head out by their weird image display. The room was mostly empty except for a new statue. It was sitting in the corner with an arm made of crystal. I made my way close to the statue. It seemed too alive, parts of it were modeled to look eerily close to skin. As I neared the feet of it I realized it was wearing clothing. It wasn’t part of the model. I grabbed a bit of the fabric in awe.
“This is softer than they usually wear,” I murmured. I reached into my bag and pulled out the only sharp tool I owned. I started to cut some free from below the visible portion. “They won’t notice this is gone.”
I finished cutting out the portions I knew wouldn’t be noticed. I had grown used to talking to myself living here. The beings were always noisy enough that I could. I stuffed the soft cloth in my bag and started towards the strange crystal hand. It looked too real, like something those beings would have made me make if they found me. I shuddered at the thought, a number of my friends had been found by them.
I touched one of the crystal fingers, it felt warm. I looked up at the face that had a hood covering it. It had a bunch of golden decorations on the hood, it was tempting to climb up and grab some. The warmth left me reluctant. I closed my eyes and leaned on the hand, it was nice. I hadn’t been near anyone else since I started living here.
I knew I shouldn’t, but I climbed onto the palm. It was warm and reminded me of people I would never see again. I closed my eyes. It was the safest I’d felt in a long time. The silence made sure I’d hear if any of those beings came into the room. My eyes felt heavier than I expected after just waking up. I started to fall asleep in the palm of the statue.
A loud noise made me wake up. I heard footsteps clacking on the floor nearby. I rushed out of the palm, shivering once away from the heat. As the door opened I made my way into the walls. A person with bunny ears ran in, I’d never seen someone like that before.
“My lord?” the bunny person asked. I ran through my tunnels to get away. It’s better not to stick around when those beings are around. “There you are.”
It was a few weeks before I made my way back to that central room. There were more strange beings that had shown up. Ones with more features of tigers than just cats. I heard a voice a few times, people calling them my lord, but never saw a single person. The strange statue was still there, a bit of a relief. I made my way to it again.
“Guess those new beings don’t care enough to move you,” I smiled. I patted the hand I was near. The weird warmth was still there. I climbed in the palm and relaxed. “Hope you don’t mind. I’m just going to rest here for a bit.”
I pressed my back against the curled up fingers. I thought I felt them tense, but I knew this was a statue. It felt nice though, like a hug. I had snuck out of the building one day, but the world was filled with a bright light I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t sure there was anyone else like me around. A few tears started to slip out. I didn’t catch them before they landed on the crystal palm. I froze when I thought I heard a gasp.
After a few hours I climbed off the palm. I didn’t hear anything similar to a giant again. It was nice to feel like someone was close to me again. I ran my hands over the fingers near me. I never got to see the fingers of giants closely and safely. It was similar to mine in so many ways, just made out of crystal. It was pretty amazing how real the parts that weren’t crystal felt.
“Hope you don’t mind if I grab some more fabric, it was really useful the last time,” I whispered. I made some new pillows out of it. I just needed some for clothes now. I hadn’t made any in a long time. I cut some free, the spots from last time were still there. I shoved more in my bag than the last time. “Thanks for all of this.”
I ran off once I was done cutting fabric. Over the next few weeks I would slip back in once people were gone to visit the statue. It was always in the same spot and pose, I knew it wasn’t alive. A part of me almost wanted it to be. I heard them talking sometimes now, about the ancient people who made this tower. The Crystal Tower they called it. It seemed like I was asleep for a long time somehow.
One night I had nightmares of those old giants. They were hunting me down, breaking through the walls. I needed to get away, to be safe. Suddenly one of those hands was around me and I woke up screaming. I ran through the tunnels, desperate for a feeling of safety. The statue was where it always was. I tripped over my own feet as I ran.
I was panting as I reached the warm crystal hand. Tears streamed down my face, the fear of being found brought too far forward. I kept thinking of the times I’d lost people. The times I was almost captured from one wrong choice. I ran to the edge of the clothes, laughing when I found the same missing sections. I fell to my knees.
“You’re just a statue, I don’t have to be scared,” I said. I climbed to my feet shakily and made my way to the palm I’d been visiting. I climbed up, curling into a ball in the shadow of the massive fingers. “I thought the giants found me. The creatures from when I was living here before. They were awful… I don’t know why I keep talking to you, you aren’t even real. They made you, I shouldn’t trust you. It’s just… Your hand is so warm it feels like you’re alive.”
I curled up as much as I could. Pressing my back against those still fingers my body shook as I breathed in and out. I started sobbing again. I hadn’t felt this scared when there was noise all the time. It was probably because I was able to pretend back then. I could act like I was safe and if I was found I knew what was in store for me. I don’t know how long I cried until I finally started to feel tired again.
“It was easier when I knew what would happen, but these giants are different. I haven’t even found that lord they keep talking about. Crystal Exarch or something,” I sobbed.
A part of me wanted the fingers to curl over me. A bit of comfort in this new place. I knew I wouldn’t ever have that. If a giant’s fingers found me I would be dead or used like the others. I let my heavy eyes close with those thoughts plaguing my mind. After some rest I wouldn’t think like this anymore. I would be able to go back to the life I usually live.
I woke up when something behind me moved. My eyes snapped open once I remembered where I had fallen asleep. All my fears were realized as those crystal fingers curled over me. I was trapped in darkness as they clinked on the palm in front of me. I started to push against them, but nothing was working. A new wave of tears burned in my eyes.
“No, no, no,” I whispered. The hand holding me began to move. It was all some trap this whole time. A statue to grab my kind and it finally triggered. I was shaking as I banged against the fingers.
“Quiet, my friend,” a voice said. I froze, it sounded familiar. It almost seemed like the Exarch person.
“My lord,” the rabbit person said. I was almost positive her name was Lyna. “I’ve asked you before to use your bed. If anyone in the Crystarium saw you like this they would worry.”
“Pray forgive me Lyna. I had been distracted watching how events were unfolding elsewhere. I will avoid the floor next time.”
The laugh and voice were too close to me. My mind blanked when the statue holding me moved again. I felt my stomach drop as I was lifted with the statue as it stood. I was begging for a malfunction before it handed me over. Instead I was moved lower, the fingers tightened slightly. I could just barely see the floor through a little bit of space in between the crystal fingers.
“Of course my lord. The guard took out a few sin eaters nearby again, but nothing to worry about yet. There were a few more arrivals from Ahm Aerang today,” Lyna said. The hand holding me loosened a bit, I almost screamed as the space increased.
“Very good, help them get settled then. I’m sure they’ll be helpful with crafters. They were miners, yes?” the lord asked. It had to be the Crystal Exarch. The statue had to stay silent until both of them left.
“Yes, I’ll make sure they check there.”
I heard the clacking of footsteps on the crystal floor. I waited for another set to follow, but they didn’t. Instead the hand holding me tightened its grip again. It moved as my stomach dropped and brought itself to a stop. I started to shake again as the palm flattened beneath me. Slowly the fingers around me uncurled until I was looking up to the hooded face I’d started to feel solace around. I couldn’t stop shaking.
“I apologize for the deception my friend, I assumed you wouldn’t like Lyna to find you. I admit I had hoped you’d stay asleep until I’d returned to my usual spot,” the statue said. The statue wasn’t a statue, it was the Exarch. The title he lived with made sense now as I sat in his warm crystal hand. I was captured and it was my own fault. So many years and I’m finally in a giant’s palm.
I knew the giant was playing with me. I wasn’t going to talk anymore, or offer anything else about myself. I had made my mistakes and this was enough. I wanted to go back to when I first saw this giant and assumed he was a statue. The crystal fingers around me curled over, but I wouldn’t give him the pleasure of my reactions. He started to move his hand again, I hated it. He brought me right up to his face.
“Pray tell me how you arrived here. I don’t believe I’ve met anyone else like you in the Crystarium,” he said.
I heard wonder in his voice and it made me shiver. Slowly I climbed to my feet, the crystal made it easy to stand. I stared up at the hooded giant’s face, I couldn’t see his eyes. I took a deep breath and dashed to the side, jumping from his hand. I wouldn’t be used like the others had been. I wouldn’t become some part of an experiment or tool. I closed my eyes as I accepted my fate.
My body froze in the air. I snapped my eyes open and stared at the ground that was so close to me. Slowly turning my head, I saw the light from the staff I hadn’t realized was on the Exarch’s back. He wasn’t just a giant, he was a mage of some kind. I struggled in the invisible hold, I had to get away. I hadn’t met mages myself, but I’d been told they were some of the most dangerous. Too studious to truly consider us equal. I had to shake away the images of their experiments.
I heard the shifting of fabric before I saw the giant move. I stared in fear as the massive being kneeled next to me. He brought the hand that wasn’t crystal below me. I saw bits of my tears hit the fingers as they approached. He froze, but it didn’t matter. I knew he could find me. The hand started to move again and wrapped his fingers around me. I didn’t bother fighting this time.
“Be at peace friend, you’re in no danger from me. Usually I wouldn’t permit someone to live within the tower walls, but I won’t force you from your home,” he murmured. I closed my eyes and curled up in a ball.
“I’m no fool. You’ll just let someone else use me. All of you giants are like that, even back when the tower hummed,” I spat the words. The normal fingers around me tensed before I was brought up to the man’s chest. I struggled for a moment before going limp again.
I listened as his footsteps clicked against the floor. I heard the sound of a door unlocking and the creak of it opening. I moved my hands to cover my eyes, I didn’t want to let him see me like this. A part of me still wanted that kindness I dreamt up when I spent my days with the statue. That hand was always so warm, maybe this was better. If he hadn’t seen anyone like me there may not be anyone left.
The door creaked as it closed. I flinched when it slammed. I felt a finger rub my back, it was probably meant to be calming. I just pulled away as best I could. There was less clicking of footsteps in this room. When he finally stopped I wasn’t sure what to expect. The hand started to move again, it was slower this time. It came to a stop and I sighed. I opened my own eyes slowly.
I watched curled fingers pull away. I was left on a flat palm in the open air. I didn’t expect that much trust again, but he could stop me. I didn’t get to try and stand, his hand tilted sliding me off. I fell onto a table that seemed to be up to his chest. He crouched so I was staring directly into the darkness of his hood.
“My friend… Perhaps I shouldn’t be calling you that. It seems I am the only one who feels that way. Were you alive during the time of Allag?” he asked. Honestly I had no idea, I shrugged my shoulders. His mouth thinned to a line and I tensed again. “Pray tell me how you arrived at the tower.”
“I…” I sighed, hiding didn’t matter anymore. “I was running, someone had almost found me. The merchant I hid with came here. It was loud with tons of people, I had the easiest time to hide… until now.”
“You were here while the tower was active?” I watched as he raised his hands up. I knew it, I was just going to become a living tool now. I looked away, but the hands passed by me. He grabbed the edges of his hood. Slowly he pulled it back until I saw ruby eyes staring at me. I remembered the ones with those eyes, the leaders that ordered for them to hunt us.
I screamed and backed away. He was going to keep me, he was going to do the worst things. The twitch of ears on his head, cat ears that the others didn’t have, didn’t help. I scrambled to my feet and tried to run. His hands surrounded me before I made much progress. I just wanted to live my life, I never should have stayed here after I woke up.
His hands covered me, but I reached in my bag for my knife. The only thing I could use to escape. I veered towards the hand with skin and slashed with all my might. He hissed just like a cat, it sent my heart racing. He didn’t move his hand though, he still blocked me. I fell to my knees all the fight leaving me. His crystal hand closed in and I waited for the pain. Instead I just felt one of those fingers on my back.
“Calm my friend, you’re safe here. I am a descendant of Allag yes, but I mean you no harm. I won’t be keeping you here. My name is G’raha Tia. I am afraid we’re both very far from home, a world away really. Come to me if there’s anything you need, but outside of this room I implore you to refer to me as Exarch. I pray you will see me as a friend one day,” he smiled.
The way he spoke sounded sad. I looked at him a bit differently. His hands were pulled away from me and I was left on my own. He stood back to his full height and started to walk away. I saw now the clicking of footsteps stopped because of a rug in the room. He stopped near the door and pulled his hood back up. He stopped with a hand on it, the crystal one holding his staff.
“Before I forget, I am the only one allowed in this room. Use it as you will,” he smiled and left.
I watched him leave. I was sitting alone, he didn’t even complain about my stealing some fabric from his clothes. I grabbed my knife and set it back in my bag before running to the edge of the table. I found a way down just as he came back in.
“My friend,” his voice was quiet. “I realized I left you rather high, can you get down on your own safely?”
I was out of sight, I knew I was. A part of me knew I should keep going. I didn’t need to do this, I didn’t need to let him know about me. I heard the door shut and poked my head around the thing hiding me. He stood in the room, I couldn’t tell if he was searching for me. I knew about those cat people, but not enough. I barely knew the names of any of the giant races.
I stepped out in the open. The hood made it hard to know if he found me. I heard a small gasp and saw a bit of shock on what I could see of his face. He switched to a soft smile and walked towards me. He left his hood up, but I couldn’t blame him. There was no reason to take it off around me. He stopped more than one of his arm’s lengths away and reached up to his hood. He pulled it off and crouched a bit.
“I suppose I hadn’t thought my leaving through all the way, shall I help you?” he asked. There was that strange sound of hope in his voice again.
“I… I can normally get down on my own, but I didn’t take more than my bag when I ran out earlier… Safest would be getting help,” I said. It wasn’t entirely a lie. I would be safer having someone help me down. His face lit up and my heart raced. I didn’t expect him to look so excited at me accepting help. He came close quickly and started to wrap his fingers around me. I closed my eyes and tensed, but the feeling of warmth around me disappeared. I opened my eyes to the crystal palm set at the edge of the table.
“I don’t suppose you enjoy being grabbed. I apologize for that. Pray climb on my palm and I’ll help you down.”
I nodded and started a stiff walk forward. I just had to think of his palm as a statue still. The red eyes, moving red ears, and red hair that ended in white were not important. I was a bit curious about his tail, they always had one with those ears. I set one foot on the palm, it was still hard like crystal and warm. I took a few steps and then stood staring up at those eyes. I nodded to signal I was ready, his face lit up again. Slowly he lowered his hand, just slow enough I could stay standing.
Almost at the ground I hopped off and bolted. He didn’t reach out for me, didn’t even call out. Once I was hidden I turned back to watch him. He continued to move slowly, standing up and pulling his hood over his head again. He walked out and the door slammed again. I knew he didn’t make it slam, all the doors here did. I made my way home and just collapsed.
I stayed hidden for a few days, but there was a commotion. Someone snuck in and there was some kind of an attack. The wall with my home suffered damage, things I’d had were lost. I was lost once I saw the aftermath. If I hadn’t gone to see where the Exarch was I would have been there. He was the only one to survey the damages. I didn’t stay to watch him wave it all away. I had seen him fix other things, my home was gone for good. I found a secluded area and started working on a new one.
I heard the clacking of footsteps back and forth while working. I had to stop each time they came through. It was getting annoying. I was almost tempted to go to that chamber the Exarch showed me. I knew I couldn’t do that, if he found out my home was gone I’d be trapped. He’d keep me trapped for my ‘safety’.
“My friend,” the Exarch called. I shivered, there was no way he knew I was here. “Are you here? Pray give me a sign.”
I set my things down and snuck down to an opening on the floor. The building was smooth in most places, but the larger beings rarely checked this low. I saw the Exarch without his hood looking around frantically. I stepped out to watch him, he looked worn out. His gaze flew past me, but he quickly realized I was there. His ruby eyes locked on me and made me shiver.
I watched the flick of his ears as he realized I wasn’t running. He stepped forward, knocking me off my feet. He frowned, but stepped closer again. He kneeled down in front of me. I hadn’t been on the ground this close to one of the giants before. It felt like he’d become my entire world. He brought his hands down to surround me. He stopped just before his fingers touched me.
“My friend, I am filled with relief to see you again,” he whispered. I started shaking, the way he looked at me felt wrong. It felt like he was relieved to find a possession. He didn’t move his hands any closer, but did hang his head. I jumped at the tears that fell from him. “I apologize, this is quite unbecoming of me. I had feared you died when I found what I assume to be your home destroyed. We had yet to truly become acquainted, but I had hoped to be able to protect you while myself and the tower remain.”
“Why…” I mumbled. I couldn’t even understand the idea behind his words. Protecting me didn’t matter. He sighed, the gust of wind reminding me of our differences.
“Pray accompany me to the Umbilicus where we can talk more freely.” I stared at his hands, the way to accompany him would be in those. I had spent so much time in the crystal one. He’d never bothered to hurt me, there wasn’t anyone I was protecting by hiding anymore.
“...I will.” His ears perked up once I answered. He set his crystal hand down beside me. I knew I was still shaking, but the fact he decided against grabbing me gave me a little hope.
“Pray, take your time. I have no trouble waiting for you to accompany me comfortably. Would you rather make your way on your own? I assume you have a way to traverse the Crystal Tower.”
“You trust I’d show up?” I knew how stupid it was to ask that question. It opened his mind to the fact I might not. The red ears on his head drooped.
“I… am aware that you have little reason to trust me. I did deceive you for quite some time. I merely hope to give you aid however I can. The things you would most likely wish to hear I unfortunately must say in a place of complete privacy. Should you choose not to return with me then I shall only hope to protect you as I am able while you remain out of sight.”
I nodded, I wished I believed him. I took a deep breath before climbing into the crystal palm. It had felt so comforting, now it was foreboding. I just wanted to survive this. Nothing was how I knew it to be. There were races that didn’t make sense and words I’d never heard. At least this would be normal, a giant keeping me captive because I made a mistake.
I sat on the palm just waiting for it to move. Slowly I curled up into a ball. The crystal fingers I once wished would cover me slowly did just that. I thought he mumbled something, but I didn’t care. One day I’d come to accept all of this. My life how this giant would make it. Some of them sounded nice, maybe it would just be that I'm a pet. I heard from others that it was a better option out of the ones available. Especially with mages.
“Don’t cry my friend, I promise you will remain free as long as I am in this tower,” he whispered. I listened to the footsteps clacking on the floor. I wished I could believe him. I heard another one running somewhere nearby. I started to shake, it had probably been a trick that he was searching alone.
“My lord, this is where you’ve been,” Lyna said. I panicked as the crystal hand moved. This is where the lies fell apart. “Did you find something concerning the attacker? I can alert the guard.”
“Do not worry Lyna. I didn’t find anything worth worrying over. Merely a piece of the tower I must take care of. Was there something you needed?” I heard her sigh, stiffening at the suspicion in her voice.
“I know better than to question your secrets. I had come to report no one had seen the intruder around the Crystarium. It was as if they appeared from thin air.”
“I see. Thank you for the report Lyna. I will continue looking into this. Please ensure everyone that I’m fine as is the tower. There is nothing to fret over.”
“Understood, my lord.”
The footsteps ran off before the hand moved again. The crystal fingers continued to hold me firmly. When the hand stopped I wasn’t sure what to expect. Tilting and holding me against soft fabric certainly wasn’t it. The warmth below the fabric mixed with the warmth of the hand felt nice. I almost wanted to accept this, if I’d get this nice feeling. At least he kept me hidden.
I didn’t know how long I was left in his hold. It felt like hours, but I wasn’t particularly bothered. Now and then he’d stop and I felt something strange come over me. I heard giants talking when he did this, but they didn’t stop to speak with him. When I heard a door open I was a little upset, the daydream that I was safe was about to end. The doors closed, but nothing else changed.
“My friend, are you awake?” Exarch asked. I fidgeted, the idea of falling asleep in this hand while I knew it was alive sounded insane. I felt him chuckle around me. “I fear I had hoped for too much then. I believe we have much to discuss, if you would do me the honor of trusting me.”
“I’m here,” I murmured.
Exarch made a noise of agreement. His hand was pulled from against the soft cloth at his chest. I was kept wrapped in crystal fingers, unable to see the world around me. I resigned myself to the cage I’d be dropped in. Slowly the hand lowered until my feet reached a solid surface. The fingers around me uncurled letting me see my surroundings. The giant hand was pulled away, but I couldn’t stop from looking around.
“This isn’t a cage,” I said. The exarch made a shocked noise that drew my attention to him. He had his hands up to pull down his hood, but the part of his face I could see looked pained.
“My small friend, I would never trap you. Had I known that was a fear of yours I would have tried to assuage that the best I am able,” he said. I looked up at him, he slowly pulled his hood off. I couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at me like that.
“What did you want me here for?” I couldn’t just trust him blindly, even with eyes that seemed to see me like an equal. He looked older than I first thought as he settled into a chair in front of me. He pulled some things from somewhere I hadn’t noticed, food that he was sharing with me.
“I wanted to tell you how we’ve come to this world. One far from home for both of us, and the tragedy that befell our world.”
I sat down, grabbing a bit of food and motioned for him to talk. He went into a long story about wars and death. His role to try and save the world we came from. He called our world the source and the one we were in the first. He told me about the flood, a horrible event of destruction. He told me about black rose and the disarray of the world. It was horrifying.
“I am here to prevent that. I can not guarantee you will stay here once I have changed the past. I do know I have no intent to leave the tower behind. Would you allow me to aid you in finding a new home?” he finished. I just sat there and tried to take it all in. Our world was a mess, we were in the past, and good chance I’d disappear once we saved this place. He didn’t push me, just let me think.
“Can I help?” I asked. The giant face above me went from shock to awe to excitement. The glimmer in the ruby eyes made me blush.
“I would welcome any aid you would provide. It has been admittedly lonely on this journey. You are the only one who I have been able to reveal my goals to since I arrived.” I stood up and held out a hand, his ears twitched before a giant hand came forward. He pinched my hand between two fingers and moved it up and down. I smiled at him, maybe this giant wasn’t so bad.
I spent the next few years helping him. I would make my way into parts of the tower that seemed locked, finding secret ways to open it. I learned I had some skill with magicks as well. It seemed the tower knew me, my kind at least. It was amazing to experience not having to hide. He continued to protect me, never once mentioning my existence to the other giants. He told me the names of each kind too, although he said they were different in the first.
It wasn’t long before the Exarch said it was time to summon the hero. It was what we’d been preparing for, finding all the solutions possible. I wasn’t quite ready to lose my freedom here, but I had agreed to this. I started to remove my things from the Umbilicus, most of my things stayed there while we worked on preparing for the warrior of light. The Exarch had been busy recently, I would miss the time we spent together. I didn’t want to bother him as I returned to the walls. It was best to stay hidden when more people would start wandering the tower.
I was in the middle of moving my things from a shelf the Exarch had cleared out for me when the doors opened. I dove behind some books stacked on the desk. I heard a sigh that I had grown used to, the Exarch was back. I nodded to myself as I started back out in the open. He was probably just checking a book, one to make sure he grabs the hero from the right time.
“Oh no…” he whispered. I tensed, that couldn’t be good. I felt his steps through the desk as he rushed over to me. I had almost forgotten the way he could feel to me when he didn’t care. I heard the crash of things, the proximity meant it was my things. I covered my mouth to hide a yelp when the heavy things were moved with ease. “My friend, pray reveal yourself. Were you hurt? Did something happen?”
I didn’t move, I was terrified to see what he’d do if he found me. He sounded almost angry. It was years where I proved how useful I was here. He could easily have decided to keep me now. I jumped as a new tremor came through the desk. I snuck forward, looking out from my hiding place. If he wanted to find me he could look.
“I suppose I deserve this, I’ve been too distracted. I pray you have gone to safety my friend, I’d hoped to see this through with you,” he mumbled. I watched as a single tear fell from him. I felt foolish, rushing out to see the Exarch as he turned away. His hood had fallen off as he moved, his ears were pressed against his head.
“I was moving my things!” I called out. His ears perked up before he turned. The glimmer in his eyes gave me that feeling of being seen again. He was in front of me, crouching so I was even with his eyes. I almost felt guilty for hiding. “I… I thought it best I had my things gone before you summoned the hero. So you wouldn’t have to keep them from this room.”
His hands came around me, a silent question. I nodded and they surrounded me until I fell into his palm. He always kept me in his crystal palm. He stared at me in a way I almost wanted to run from. He brought me close to his face, pressing his nose into me. The ruby eyes went cross to stare at me. I laughed, the strange face managed to make me laugh each time.
“My friend, I had hoped we could see this through. We have wandered the Crystarium together, the summoning should be no different. The warrior of light will not be entering here unless I have failed in my duties. At that point I hope you would aid them where I failed.” He pulled me away to smile down at me.
“How could I help one of you giants? Besides, trusting you is hard enough.”
“Then at least trust me my friend. This is your home, as long as I’m alive you shall be free. Your home here in the Umbilicus or the walls shall remain your own. You shall be free.”
“How long until you summon them…”
“A few days.”
“We’ll see once you’re prepared to start then…”
He nodded, it was a solemn movement. Over the next few days I went back and forth a lot still. I stayed out of sight, focusing on my own work. I would leave my mark if this went south. I fixed all my tunnels that had gone out of use. I worked on leaving warnings and notes for others of my kind. If I truly joined him in this, I would have no choice. I wouldn’t be returning to a quiet life and I wouldn’t be able to remove the tower like he planned.
It was finally time, he’d been staring at that weird portal for hours. I slipped out of the walls and started towards him. I haven’t been on the ground near him since that day he told me of the past I didn’t know. The Exarch sighed and started to turn. I expected to stay undetected. He saw me, he always seemed to be looking for me. Without a pause he crouched offering a hand to me. I ran up climbing on it, it was the crystal palm like always.
He curled those fingers up around me. The motion was always stiff on this palm. One day I’d see what his other hand felt like, but I wasn’t ready for that. Even after years with him. He held me up to his face, a smile played on his lips. One of hope. I saw the question he wanted to ask. I held up a hand to stop him. I stood on the palm and pointed towards his shoulder. The smile grew.
He moved his hand to his shoulder. I jumped off and climbed under the hood. He’d let me add a spot to hide in a long time ago. I climbed in, making sure I could still see out. I could feel him relax with me there. I was happy he felt calm with me.
“Are you ready my friend?” he asked. I ran down my mental checklist. I’d done everything, there was no one waiting for me other than Exarch. I was happy to be here, to be part of something important.
“As I’ll ever be,” I answered.