VOL2-CHAPTER 10: TOGETHER
The vault door swung open. Hania stepped inside. The orb sat in its containment chamber, surrounded by newly reinforced wards, pulsing weakly with defeat.
She doesn't even know I'm here. I just wanted to say hello.
Hania walked toward it, her expression softening.
"Hey," she said softly.
The orb's pulsing stopped. It tilted slightly, like it was trying to process what it was seeing.
...Hania?
"Mmm... How are you?... I'm sorry, actually. I know you're in there and you tried to reach me."
The orb's surface flickered with confusion.
"But I pretended not to see you."
The orb went completely still. Then it started pulsing rapidly, a questioning rhythm.
WHAT?! WHY?!
"Because I needed to understand what was happening. Why everyone was acting so strange. Why they were so desperate to keep us apart." Hania pressed her hand against the glass. "And I found out. I..."
She suddenly froze, her eyes going wide.
"...Wait! Did you just talk to me? How? You don't have a mouth. Telepathy? From when? How?"
Ah! I can always talk. It's just you never listened.
"What? How come...?"
Well, I don't know. It might be because we are closer than before.
Hania stared at the orb, her mind racing. She had been able to understand it. Clearly. As if it were speaking directly into her thoughts.
"Closer than before," she repeated slowly. "How?"
That's... complicated. I don't understand it either. But I like being able to talk to you.
Hania shook her head, a bemused smile crossing her face. "You've been able to talk this whole time? And I just... couldn't hear you?"
Pretty much. It was very frustrating. I had a lot of opinions and no one to share them with.
"Well, I can hear you now." Hania's smile widened. "So..."
...So?
"I'm just angry. I'm angry at the situation."
Situation?
"Yeah. Tell me, what did you do while I was in a coma? Did you annoy my dad?"
What? Why would I? He was the one who came out of nowhere and kicked me, not even with his feet, just with a magic slipper, and sealed me here.
"So you didn’t do anything weird. Then why did Dad say you would harm me and that you are dangerous?"
The orb pulsed angrily.
WHAT?! I'M NOT DANGEROUS! I WOULD NEVER HURT YOU!
"I know. I don't think you're dangerous." Hania's voice was gentle. "But my father did."
The orb's pulsing slowed. It seemed to be thinking.
But I am the victim here.
"I know. My father gave those orders. He was trying to protect me from something he didn't understand." Hania pressed her forehead against the glass. "And Lusha was just following orders. But I'm done being kept in the dark."
She stepped back and raised her hands. The silver-purple threads in her core surged forward, wrapping around her fingers, crackling with barely contained power.
"Now, let's get you out of there."
Are you sure that's safe? Last time I tried to break out, I—
"Don't worry. I've got this."
Hania's mana flared. The threads shot forward, slamming into the containment ward. The ward flickered, crackled, and shattered like glass.
The orb shot out of the chamber, zooming around Hania in excited circles.
I'M FREE! I'M WITH MY HUMAN! I'M NEVER GOING BACK TO THAT BORING VAULT!
Hania laughed, stumbling back. "Okay, okay! Calm down!"
I DON'T CARE! I'M HAPPY!
The orb settled in front of her face, pulsing with warmth. Hania reached out and touched its surface.
"I missed you too. But I need you to understand that if my father gave those orders, then there must be a reason. I don't know what it is yet. But I'm going to find out."
I'll be careful. I'll be the most careful orb in existence.
"Also, Lusha is going to be very angry."
The orb's pulsing stuttered.
The Spider Queen? ...Is she going to web me again?
"Probably."
I don't like being webbed.
"Neither do I. But we'll figure it out." Hania tucked the orb under her arm. "Now, let's go have that argument."
★★★
Lusha found them in the main corridor, walking toward the Royal Library like they owned the place.
The Queen's spider legs went rigid. Her golden eyes widened with a mix of horror and exasperation.
"Hania. Put the orb back. Now."
"No."
"Hania—"
"You heard my father, didn't you?" Hania's voice was steady. "Before he fell into the healing sleep. He told you to keep the orb away from me."
Lusha's expression flickered. "How did you—"
"I heard you in the library. When you were talking to Kix." Hania stepped forward. "I know you were following his orders. I know you were trying to protect me. And I'm not angry at you."
Lusha's eyes narrowed. "You're not?"
"Yeah." Hania's voice softened. "You've done everything you could to protect me. You made me a princess. You gave me a family."
She reached out and took Lusha's hand.
"But I need to understand what's happening, Lusha. I need to know why my father was doing this. And the only way to do that is to keep the orb close. It's connected to me, and I'm not going to let it be locked away."
Lusha was silent for a long moment. Then she sighed.
"You are so much like your father. It's infuriating."
"I know. He's a terrible influence."
Lusha laughed despite herself. "He's going to kill me when he finds out I let you do this."
"He won't kill you. He'll just give you a disappointed look. That's worse."
"It really is."
Hania smiled. Then her expression turned serious. "Lusha, where is my father?"
Lusha's eyes flickered. "I can't tell you that. Not until you're ready."
"When will I be ready?"
"When you understand the threads in your mana. When you can control them. When you can stand on your own." Lusha reached out and touched Hania's cheek. "Your father gave that order not because he didn't trust you, but because he loves you. There are things moving in this world that I don't fully understand. Forces connected to the Noctis bloodline. And until you're ready, you need to be protected."
"Then protect me by telling me the truth."
"I am telling you the truth." Lusha's voice was heavy. "But there are some truths that can't be spoken until the time is right. Your father understood that, and so do I."
Hania stared at her. "You're not going to tell me where he is, are you?"
"No."
"Even though I'm your heir?"
"Especially because you're my heir." Lusha's voice softened. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. I made a promise to your father. And I intend to keep it."
Hania was silent for a moment. Then she nodded slowly.
"Okay. I won't push you." She looked at the orb in her arms. "But I'm keeping the orb. That's non-negotiable."
Lusha's eyes drifted toward the orb. Her expression shifted.
"Very well," Lusha said smoothly. "But if it causes any trouble, I will put it back in the vault myself."
She's definitely lying. She wants to web me.
Hania patted its surface. "It'll be fine. She's just being dramatic."
I don't trust her. She's smiling and it's terrifying.
Lusha's smile widened. She leaned down and whispered something to the orb, a threat that Hania couldn't quite hear.
The orb went completely still.
What... What did she say? I'm genuinely scared. She's going to eat me.
Hania frowned. "Lusha, what did you just say?"
"Nothing important," Lusha said sweetly. "Just a little warning about what happens to orbs that cause too much trouble."
SHE SAID SHE WOULD TURN ME INTO A PAPERWEIGHT!
"A paperweight?"
"I have a very nice collection of paperweights," Lusha said, her smile never wavering. "The orb would make an excellent addition."
She's a monster.
Hania patted it comfortingly. "Don't worry. I won't let her turn you into a paperweight. Probably."
THAT'S NOT REASSURING!
★★★
Hania carried the orb back to her chambers. The orb pulsed nervously against her chest.
"She wouldn't really turn you into a paperweight," Hania said.
ARE YOU SURE?
"Pretty sure. She likes you in her own way."
I DON'T THINK SHE LIKES ME. I THINK SHE TOLERATES ME.
"Same thing."
IT'S NOT THE SAME THING!
They reached the South Wing. Hania set the orb down on her bed and flopped onto the silk blankets.
"Today was a lot," she muttered.
Hania laughed. "You're very dramatic for a ball of light."
I learned from the best. You're very dramatic for a nine-year-old.
"That's fair."
They lay there in comfortable silence. Hania stared at the ceiling.
"Lusha won't tell me where my father is," she said quietly. "She said I'm not ready."
Do you think she's right?
"I don't know. But I do know that I can't just sit here forever."
What are you going to do?
"I'm going to figure out what those threads are. I'm going to learn to control them, and I'm going to get stronger." Hania's voice hardened. "And then I'm going to find my father, with or without Lusha's help."
I'm with you. Always.
Hania smiled. She reached out and touched its surface.
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
I could never give up on you. You're my human. I'm a generous orb.
Hania laughed again.
★★★
The next morning, Hania walked into the Royal Library with the orb floating beside her.
Lusha looked up from her scrolls, her eyes narrowing.
"Hania. I thought I told you—"
"You told me to keep it contained. I'm keeping it contained." Hania gestured at the orb. "It's right here next to me. Completely contained."
Lusha pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not what I meant."
"I know. But it's what you said." Hania smiled sweetly. "You should be more careful with your wording. People might misunderstand."
Lusha stared at her. Then she laughed. "You are absolutely impossible."
"I know. I'm the Princess. It's part of the job description."
Lusha shook her head, but she was smiling. "Fine."
I will be the best-behaved orb in the entire kingdom. I will be a model orb.
Hania glanced at it. "You're lying, aren't you?"
...Maybe. But I'll try my best.
"That's all I ask."