Sinking down, I made sure to not brush against the coral and rocks as much as possible.

It didn't take long for me to reach the bottom of the pool, and upon landing I had startled some kind of eel. It rushed out from wherever it had been hiding and grabbed onto my shoulder with its mouth. It bit and tore at it for a moment, but released me quickly and swam away before doing any damage to itself.

Apologizing to the thing, I scanned the area as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Not only was the world dark anyway, thanks to the dark storm clouds all over the place, but this hole was one that winded and turned. There was no direct path for any light to enter here, but there was a very faint glow of blue all the same. I'd never figured out if it was just the reflection of what little sunlight made it down here, or something in the water or life forms here, but it didn't matter.

Stepping towards the darker hole in the distance, I walked through thick coral and sharp rocks. There were hundreds of little fish and other creatures, urchins and the like, but most of them didn't even seem to recognize I existed as I walked and swam past them.

I must have landed right on that eel's home, for it to have startled so brazenly. Poor thing.

Reaching the end of the section, I slowly walked up a small section of stone. There was no air pocket this time, but it didn't matter. I found the metal box rather easily, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn't much gunk on it. A few pieces of coral, a crab sat on its corner, but nothing too drastic.

I pushed aside the crab, letting it float to a nearby cluster of rocks, and pulled the metal box out of the small hole I had left it in.

Thanks to how utterly heavy the box was, I hadn't needed to secure it. No natural tide or creature could have moved this thing, and by the looks of the indent in the rock where it had been sitting all this time… my assumption had been true. It had dug a full thumb deep into the rock, which had only secured it even more in place.

Putting the box under an arm, I turned and headed back.

Walking slowly, I retraced my steps. I had stepped on and broke a few things, so I tried to only step where I'd done so before. To keep the damage I was doing to this sea cave as limited as possible.

Once back to the main shaft, I looked upward and found the best spot to climb. I could have swum naturally alone, not having to occasionally grab and push off the rocks and walls, but the box made it a tad difficult with its weight.

It took longer to get back up than it had to descend, of course, but I made good time and emerged from the pool of water. I took a deep breath of cold ocean air, and strode out of the pond.

As I left the pond I glanced over to the well-kept grave. The three headstones were weathered, but not covered in slime or dirt like most of this little inlet cave was.

Kaley wasn't here, thankfully, but I could smell her even through the sea covering me. She had likely been here yesterday, before we had arrived.

I was glad she wasn't here, since I wasn't entirely sure if Kaley would be upset with me or not for hiding something near her family's graves and in the pool she had once called home.

A part of me said she would have laughed and been annoyed that I hadn't just asked first… but another part of me worried she'd be offended.

She was odd in her own ways…

Though…

"Not like I buried it after meeting her," I whispered as I stepped away from the pool and headed for where I'd left my clothes.

I dried off and got dressed quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. I felt damp, and seawater rolled down my back as I put my shirt on, but I didn't want to linger. Just in case.

Once clothed, I picked up the box once more and headed out of this little grotto.

It was actually a neat place. There were pools of water everywhere, an underground cavern system, and even a freshwater waterfall deeper into the cave system it was connected to. But it was also a place I didn't like to come to. Because my only real memories of this place were of Kaley's heart breaking as she wept for hours on end.

I hated such places.

As I walked, I glanced down at the box I had recovered. It's silver look gleamed a little now that I was out of that dark cave, and although felt kind of slimy thanks to the long years underwater, it didn't have any rust or holes.

Pausing a moment, I decided to check on the contents first. Just in case. What if I left the cave and happened upon someone? Then I'd have to carry the box around longer, until I got away from everyone and…

"What is it?"

The box I had been about to open shattered. From being startled I had crushed it haphazardly. It popped open from an odd angle and several pieces broke, flying in all directions, as I turned and stepped back in shock.

"Wah!" Renn ducked a little as a piece from the box flew up and hit her in the cheek, drawing blood.

"Renn!" I dropped the now broken box, stepping over to her as she reached up to touch her face. As she did, I felt horrible as I found a half of her finger sized gash running down her left cheek, from her cheekbone to her jawbone. It was bleeding, but not too badly, and I didn't see muscle or bone but…

"Is it bad?" Renn asked worriedly as she lifted her face. She wasn't crying but had a frown that told me she wanted to. Though maybe it wasn't from the pain, but worry.

"No. It's a clean cut. But… I should probably clean it. That thing's been down there a long time, and though it has no rust the ocean can be nasty," I said worriedly.

"Nasty?" Renn asked with an odd tone as I gently grabbed her head and tilted it. She made an odd noise as I made her lift her chin and turn her head, almost to the point she had to turn her whole body as to accommodate me.

Yes. It wasn't too deep. And it didn't look like anything got stuck in her. It had simply sliced her as it flew past. And thanks to it being on her face, in the cheek no less, it looked worse than it was. Gently pulling on her skin, near her jaw, I watched the way the thin cut moved and adjusted to the pressure. Some blood leaked out thanks to my doing so, but I was able to see that it was just the laceration of her outer layers. Her muscles looked intact.

I wiped some of the blood away, and along the wound, and noticed the way the newer fresh blood didn't seep out as quickly as it could have. Telling me she'd likely heal up fine as long as we tended it properly.

"I think that's the first time you've ever actually hurt me, Vim," Renn said happily.

"Why do you sound so happy saying that?" I asked.

"Well…" she mumbled oddly as I released her and sighed.

"Come on. Let's get my bag, I got stuff I can put on it for you. It should heal quickly, actually, but let's not take any risks," I said.

"Sure…" Renn nodded as she reached up. I was going to tell her not to touch it, but she just wiped the blood that was now dripping down her chin.

Feeling horrible, I shook my head at myself and glanced at the box. It was in pieces, of course, but it had still dug into the soft ground where I had dropped it.

Damn thing. "Are you alone?" I asked as I looked around.

"I am. Meriah and Kaley are cooking. I'll be honest I'm enjoying them, but the two are acting oddly with each other and I needed a moment away from them. They… seem… kind of awkward with each other, though it's obvious they've known each other for a long time. I felt like they wanted to say stuff to one another that they didn't want me to hear, so," Renn said. As she spoke I noticed the way she had done so without moving her lips as much as possible. It gave her voice a cute tone, as if she was speaking through clenched teeth, but I couldn't enjoy it since I knew it was thanks to the pain from the cut.

"I see…" I said softly. I wasn't in the mood to tell her that Kaley and Meriah had history. Nor did I think it was my place to tell her about it. So instead I went to pick up the box.

"What is it?" Renn asked again as I stepped over to it.

I picked the whole thing up, and glanced around for any shards or pieces. I went about picking them up, the ones I could find at least, out of concern for Kaley. She frequented this place, barefoot most of the time, and I didn't need her hurting herself as Renn had.

"Another item I hid away. I left it at the bottom of that pond. The one near the graves," I said.

Renn hummed as she stepped away, and at first I wondered what she was doing… but then I realized she was just helping me out. She was also looking for pieces, having realized what I was doing.

"Don't touch any you find Renn. They're sharp, as you found out, and heavy. Possibly too heavy for you to pick up without hurting yourself," I warned.

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"Mkay…" she agreed.

"I actually left this box in that pool before I met Kaley, to be honest. It was how I met her. I had been hiding stuff, and while I hid this here I met her. She had been inside the pools, and saw me. She thought I was a fellow fish, since I was walking around on the bottom of the ocean without breathing," I said.

As I picked up pieces, I noted the odd silence coming from her. Usually upon being told such a thing she would have laughed, made a weird noise, or asked a hundred questions. Instead she was quiet…

I glanced at her, and found her half kneeled over, studying something. "Really…? Does Kaley know?" Renn asked, sounding slightly distracted. Then she made an odd sound. "Ah! Vim, here. Another one."

I see. She had found a piece but hadn't known if it was one or not.

Stepping over to her, I bent down to pick up the long piece of broken metal she had found.

It did look odd, amongst the wet rocks and sand. "She doesn't know about the box, as far as I'm aware. But she might, too, I don't know. I've never told her of it, out of concern of insulting her. You know… since," I gestured with the broken piece to the nearby graves.

"Right… burying it near her family's grave-site. Kind of rude, Vim," Renn said.

"I hadn't meant to! I put it there before I met her, like I said," I defended myself.

"You should have moved it. Afterward."

Holding her gaze, I felt horrible as I watched a tiny bead of blood drip down her cheek and to her chin. It wasn't bleeding as bad as before, already stopping, but it was a stark reminder… again… of how dangerous I was.

"Sorry Renn…" I whispered.

"Don't say sorry to me, say it to her. And there! Another one!" Renn hurriedly stepped away, sounding a little happy as she pointed at another piece.

I picked it up, putting it into the box that was now half-open, and sighed at her. I hadn't been apologizing for my desecration of Kaley's burial-sight…

It didn't take too long for Renn and I to gather up the dozen or so pieces we were able to find. I made sure to check the pool of water, and the graves, rather closely since they were what Kaley would spend most of her time around. Once finished, I dug out the smaller box within the box, pulling it out from the shards and splinters of the larger one, and handed it to Renn.

"A… another box?" Renn asked with a frown as she looked at the wooden thing.

"Inside is a metal plate. What you call a cast. Or a mold. Or well, there's four of them in there technically," I said.

Renn shifted the box, but didn't open it. Even though it was obvious where it could be opened, with the lid being larger than the rest of it. "Molds…? Like what Lellip and them use?" she asked.

I nodded. "Exactly like them, actually. Just… special ones."

"Can I see them?" she asked with a smile. As she did her left side of her smile was noticeably lopsided. From the cut.

Feeling terrible I nodded. "Of course you can. They'll not hurt you. At least, the molds can't. What is made from them could though," I said.

Renn hummed as she carefully opened the box. Her ears fluttered excitedly, and I realized she didn't have her hat on. A little shocked at the lack of it, since Kaley's home had humans who weren't a part of the Society, I wondered why she had failed to wear it… but then realized she did indeed have her hat. It was tied to her waist at her belt.

She had either taken it off upon finding me, or it had fallen off in the accident just now and she had picked it up when I hadn't been paying attention. Maybe earlier, when she had been kneeling oddly a few moments ago.

Renn handed me the lid of the box, and then the box itself, after pulling out the metal sheets. They were an inch or so thick each, and had pressed in molds of smaller parts.

"Well… this isn't what I was expecting. What are they? What do they make?" she asked as she studied them.

"A weapon," I said.

Renn's ear twitched and she stopped looking at the molds and up at me instead. "A weapon…?" she whispered.

I nodded. "It's not the whole weapon, of course. But those four pieces are the most integral parts. It took me years and years to perfect them. Dozens of brilliant minds helped me too, and we even had a bunch of the originals to copy from. It had been difficult. And by the time we finished, I didn't even need them anymore. A pitiful waste of brilliance and time," I said, hating the things more than I already did.

They were now not only a waste, and a scorn on the world, but had hurt Renn.

Damn those things.

She shifted as she glanced at the four molds in her hand. "You… made them, only to not need them?" she asked.

"Yeah. I had hoped, planned, to use them in the war. Against the monarchs. By the time they were ready to be used… it hadn't mattered. I had no army left to use them, and the few enemies left wouldn't have required them anyway," I said.

Renn's face contorted into a weird frown, and I watched a tiny line of blood roll down her cheek to her jaw, then from there down the side of her neck.

She seemed to be lost in thought, ignoring the blood, so I reached out. I stopped the tiny blood droplet from reaching her collar, and thus her clothes, and I wiped upward as to get as much of the blood off her as I could.

"Thanks," she gave me a smile as I rubbed my now blood-stained fingers together.

"You startled me, Renn," I whispered to her.

She blinked a few times, and then gulped. "I did," she agreed.

How had she done it? I had even been looking around, on guard, because I had worried about Kaley seeing me.

Yet she had done it. No doubt.

I had startled. Dropped the box, and expected danger. An enemy even.

Because the only people, the only things, which usually were able to sneak up on me like that… were gods and monarchs.

Renn gave me a wry smile. "I enjoyed the look on your face… until I got hurt," she teased me.

"Yeah… I'm sorry about that Renn. Really, I am," I said.

"You should be! It's not often I get to see you unsettled, Vim. Though… lately it's been happening more often. I'm not honestly sure if I like that or not…" Renn mumbled as she shrugged.

Studying the way she squirmed and grinned, as if suddenly having the time of her life, I felt utterly defeated.

What was I doing to do with her? Myself, too?

Rubbing her blood between my fingers, I glanced at the box in my hand and wondered if I should just… toss it aside and grab her.

But to do it here, in this damp and cold grotto? It was pretty, but at the moment ill-fitting.

Plus if I kissed her now, it might hurt her. Thanks to that cut.

Damn me.

Renn was about to say something, but because of her happy grin she had opened her mouth too far. She flinched and reached up to touch the side of her face, at the cut, and I felt an ice cold dagger slide slowly into my gut and wrench itself around.

"Careful Renn. Come on, let's go get you some medicine," I said gently, feeling like an absolute ass.

"It oddly doesn't hurt. Until I move my face," she said softly.

"It's because of how fine a cut it is. You will regretfully not be laughing or crying for a few days as to let it heal, so ready yourself for that," I warned her.

"What…? That's not fair," she said happily, able to tell I had only spoken partly in a serious tone.

"You don't need to put them back into that box, Renn. I think I might just destroy them," I said as Renn went to grab the box for the molds.

She hesitated, and then glanced at the things in her hand.

"These can hurt monarchs?" she asked.

"And gods," I said softly.

Her ears fluttered, and I heard her tail squirm beneath her clothes. "Then… you shouldn't. What if we need them, one day?" she asked.

About to smirk at her and ask when we'd need a weapon to face such things, when they were now all gone, I went still as I realized something obvious.

They might not be.

If Elaine's prophecy was right.

Hesitating… I gulped and shifted a little. "Right…" I mumbled, as I glanced at the molds.

"Do you need them? To fight them?" she asked.

"No. I had made them to allow those like you to have a fighting chance," I said.

"Then even more so, Vim."

Right…

"Fine. Put them in your pocket for now, then. Don't tell anyone about them," I said.

She nodded happily. "Right!" she said as she went to hiding them away.

Once she did, and had her hat back on her head, she joined me as we left Kaley's inlet and grotto and we headed back to the village. It like usual was rather empty, and seemed… worn down and cold. Even more so than normal, thanks to the layer of damp snow everywhere.

I'd already walked around it before heading to the grotto. While Renn spent time with Kaley and Meriah.

It was likely only going to be a few more visits until I didn't need to check it at all anymore. Because only Kaley would be here.

"I asked Kaley if she wanted to go to Telmik. During the vote. You know… since she likes to uh… well…"

"Sleep around?" I asked.

Renn giggled, but then flinched. Because she had grinned. "Yeah. Well… she said no. She doesn't want to go anywhere," Renn said sadly.

"Hm. I assume by now Renn, you've realized those like Kaley are those we can only help distantly. Like… Trek," I said.

Renn nodded gently at me. "Yes, Vim. I have. Though it hurts… I get it. I really do."

Before reaching the village, I went ahead and tossed the now half broken box over a random ledge. It crashed loudly, eventually landing in a small pool of seawater.

"You really do like just leaving behind stuff that would shock the world, don't you?" Renn asked as she and I stared over the ledge.

"It's just a box, Renn."

"A box that sounded and looked heavier than even I could lift," she noted.

"And had been perfectly reserved even while at the bottom of the ocean for decades," I added.

"Right…! Wait… right?" Renn agreed hesitantly as we left the ledge and entered the village.

Patting her on the back, I glanced at her cheek. It was no longer bleeding, but there were a couple stains of blood running down her face and neck.

Gosh I was a bastard.

"I'm fine Vim… really," Renn whispered, noticing my gaze.

"You sure?"

She smiled and nodded. "I think you're more worried about me than I had been about you when I gauged your eyeball out," she said.

Well duh.

I could survive anything.

You couldn't.

Plus…

"If anything I should be happy! I snuck up on you, for real! That's an accomplishment I bet most don't have," she said proudly.

"Right…" I agreed softly, smiling at that.

"Plus now I get to tease you. Just think what Kaley and Meriah are going to say when they see it," she teased.

"Right…" I groaned softly, my smile fading.

Renn giggled at me, and grabbed my hand. "I love you Vim. I really do. Secrets and mistakes all," she said gently.

Warmed by her gentle declaration… I nodded. "I love you too Renn."

By her dried blood on my fingers, I vowed it.

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