Creation: Book 3: Strandbinder Complete!

Walker wasn't shocked to learn that Kwaya was there during the war. She'd intimated enough times that she'd been in the Origin at the start of everything that it just seemed to fit what he'd seen thus far. Plus, she was listed as Alma's second disciple. He wasn't sure what direction her life was currently heading, but he was looking forward to seeing what the Awakened could do at the start of things.

The view of her life sped up. Apparently, she'd made the wrong choice with the man by the water, as she and Phylla were currently in chains and attached to a wagon. Rather than horses, the wagon was pulled by a heavily muscled black ram. Speeding up again, he watched as months went by with the two in captivity. Phylla grew a little, still not speaking based upon the signing he saw them doing back and forth. Meanwhile, Kwaya became fluent in the language, even inventing some words with her diminutive chalky partner as her vocabulary had been quite limited at such a young age. While Kwaya and Phylla learned the language, Walker picked up on it too. It grew to the point that he could make the signs in his sleep if he needed to.

On the eighth month of captivity and inside of a small fort made of dirt they'd arrived at in the middle of their journey, that time slowed down. Just before the vision took him over, he mentally noted that the prisoners had been well-fed and watered. They weren't being mistreated, only kept in place and away from any chance of fighting. They'd even been given beds, as thin as they seemed. His eyes glossed over as he became Kwaya again.

Kwaya continued to make signs to Phylla as they sat under a thin wooden roof while the rain drummed down.

"You can't still be scared of the sun. I know it stings your skin a little bit, but we've been up here a long time."

"I don't like it."

"You're being a baby." Kwaya signed with an extra twist at the end, indicating that she was making fun of her. It was a new invention in the language she'd only come up with recently.

"I'm not a baby!" Phylla signed back with a hook at the end, indicating she was angry.

"Prove it! Go out right now!" Kwaya signed back, pointing to the rain only a few feet away.

"No!"

"Baby!"

"Nooooo!" She signed back, then in a huff and with a blue glow to her cheeks, she stepped out from under the cover. She paused, her foot lifted, for a healthy amount of time as she stared out into the falling rain. Taking a deep breath, the courageous girl continued the action. As her foot crossed the threshold, she looked up in wonder, beads of water dripping on her face. The sun didn't burn. She looked over at Kwaya in confusion, who shrugged then began signing.

"The sun can't burn you if it's covered by clouds. I don't know how you didn't see this before. Such a baby!"

Phylla glared at her, signing back, "I'm not a baby!"

As Kwaya began to move her hands to tell her exactly how much of a baby she actually was, a sound began to reach them. More than a sound, a feeling beneath her rear, planted firmly on the ground. It was a beat, slowly ramping up. Boom, boom, boom.

All around the fort action picked up. Men who had previously been sleeping now stumbled awake, quickly tying an assortment of weapons onto belts, slinging them over their backs, or grabbing a quick cup of water before running out to their walls. Meager though they were, the walls were the only thing separating them from the loud noises outside.

Kwaya motioned Phylla over, and they took shelter within their small area, trying to appear as small as can be. After so long with these people, men and women with drawn-out faces who had yet to treat them badly, she could understand most of what they were saying. She motioned Phylla to be quiet, and did her best to listen through the lightly pounding rain. Luckily, the command center was right behind their tent. They'd been placed close by so it was easier to watch over them. Placing her ear against a crack in the stone behind her, she could just pick up what was being said.

"....Say it's over a hundred of em."

"A hundred?"

"How many do we have here?"

A pause, then a gruff voice replied, "Not enough to hold back that many Awakened. They're springing up everywhere nowadays."

....."Do we have any more stones?" a panicked voice asked.

"You think evolution stones grow out of nothing? We have the abilities that we have. Now, let's draw sticks to see who goes out to speak with them."

"How do you know they'll even speak with us instead of attacking?"

"Because they always do. Unless the war has drastically changed, we'll have a meeting first. Now, shut up and choose."

Some shuffling sounds occurred, followed by a few sighs and a single loud curse.

"That'd be on you Leader Lyra, do us proud."

"I'll...try." A shaky voice replied. Kwaya heard the flap close, then another voice spoke up.

"Do they tend to kill the messenger? I can't remember."

"Depends on which group it is."

Time fast-forwarded again. Walker watched as Kwaya and Phylla sat within their tent for hours, completely forgotten as large sounds continued to echo from outside the walls. Based on his interpretation of the events unfolding, the meeting did not go well, and the fort had been immediately besieged. Less and less often did Kwaya and Phylla see anyone leave their area and return, until, eventually, they were left all alone. After a healthy portion of time, the screen slowed down again.

The two scared girls heard footsteps squelching in the mud. The steps sounded like they were moving at a leisurely pace, with no worries in the world. While Kwaya knew there were at least a hundred people previously outside of the walls, there was only one set of steps she could hear right now. The flap opened in the command tent behind them, but aside from that, there were no other noises to clue her in on what was happening. It immediately made her think that this was their chance to escape. Nobody was around and nobody knew who they were. They hadn't been tied up in months. Nothing was keeping them there. This was the time for them to go.

Kwaya tapped on Phyllas leg in a staccato rhythm, and without a sound the girl quickly hopped onto her back. Grabbing a small number of supplies they'd managed to squirrel away by eating just a little less each day, as well as a waterskin they'd swiped in a moment when nobody was watching, Kwaya gently made her way out of the tent and into the rain. Using the sounds of the water splashing to drown out her own movements, she none-the-less made sure to not step in any half-formed depressions that might create a noise. They not too quickly made their way to the back of the fort, seeing places they'd never seen before even though they'd lived there for months. It was more squallorish than she had assumed, with their guards living and sleeping in the same poor-quality area as themselves. That made her think a little better of them.

Near the corner of the fort was a rectangular frame that seemed to stand out a little. Knowing Phylla could see over her shoulder, she signed, "A door!" and quickly walked toward it, her haste causing them to make a little more noise than she wanted to. Just as she placed a hand on the cut in the wall to push it outward, inwardly reflecting on the lack of proper defenses this fort held, a voice sounded out behind her.

"I have to give you a round of applause." The sounds of clapping echoed out, "You were very quiet."

Kwaya slowly turned around, mindful of placing Phylla nearest to the door and leaning back a little, allowing her legs to feel the edges of the wall. She looked at the person in front of her, letting her eyes quickly scan a potential opponent. She was....short. Standing no more than four feet tall, the woman had long waxy yellow hair that hung down her back and flared out just behind where her hips met her legs. Wearing a black leather outfit, Kwaya noted that she was being looked at just as deeply. The woman's eyes seemed to assess her, as if deciding whether or not they were a threat.

"Now, what do we have here? Hrmm? A couple of cooks, perhaps? Maybe pleasure girls for the Evolvers?"

Kwaya attempted to communicate back in the same language. While she'd heard it spoken for several months, she'd never done so herself, as she didn't think her guards should know that she could understand them after all of this time. She inwardly cringed at how bad she was going to sound, but found no other options available, "No cooks.....prison.."

The woman clapped again, "Oh! Prisoners! How wonderful! My My," She fanned herself, "Where in the Origin did you get that accent from?"

"Below."

The Woman looked confused, "Below? Below what?"

Kwaya pointed at the water, then made a scooping motion with her hands, "Below."

The woman began tapping her fingers on her hips as she looked at the puddle, "Interesting....below, you say.....Below"

While the woman continued to look at the water, her face deep in thought, Kwaya felt her friend begin to crack the door open. She shifted her body, trying to make it appear natural, as if her feet hurt, while also allowing the small girl to get closer for a better grip. The woman in front of her looked up, then before Kwaya could do anything, she crossed the ten or so feet of distance between them quickly, before casually pushing the door closed with a small creak.

"Who do we have here?" She said, ignoring the fact that they'd just been trying to escape. She, naturally, was pointing at the small chalky-complexioned girl holding onto her back.

Rather than try to hide it, which seemed foolish in the extreme, Kwaya said, "That me sister, Phylla."

"Sister? With her gorgeous hair?" She scoffed, "I think not."

"She-"

"How about we make a deal." The woman said, moving to sit in a chair covered in water, yet not bothered by it in the least, "You don't lie to me, and I do the same with you. How does that sound?"

"I....umm...."

The blonde woman smiled, "How old are you child?"

Kwaya paused for a moment, "I...no, no?"

"You don't know? Ohhhh, poor baby child. All alone in the world. All alone....." She crossed her legs, the leather covering them squeaking a small amount, "Except for your, sister, of course," She said with a smile, placing extra emphasis on the word. "I'm Bailian, first disciple of Alma, and leader of the women's brigade. Hrmmm..." She put a hand to her chin, "How would you like to join us?"

"Join in....what?" Kwaya asked.

"In the war, of course," She said as she threw her hands up in the air, "There is a grand world out there with a huge range of possibilities. Things you wouldn't believe! But," She put a finger in the air, "There's also those who control it. Who crush those without their nepotistic gifts into the ground. Who terrorize everyone they meet. The Evolvers," Her smile changed upon saying the word. Instead of the seemingly casual smile she'd held up until this moment, it looked more like the kind one would expect to see on a feral creature found in the wild. All teeth and no joy.

"They've had their time, and now it's ours." Quickly standing up, she put out a hand, "So, what do you say? Would you like to join me in the Women's brigade? No men allowed, except for Alma themself, of course."

"Alma?"

She waved her other hand while still holding out the original, "You'll meet them. Trust me, it's a...unique experience."

"Will...food?"

"Yes, yes, we'll feed you."

Kwaya looked at the pale hand gripped around her shoulder. She placed one of her hands on Phyllas, "And, sister?"

Bailian waved a hand again, "Yes yes, we'll feed her too. Come on, join us! join us! I feel like you have a real fighting spirit. You'd be a great addition!"

Kwaya looked at the pale hand on her chest, then at the one proffered to her from the front. She still had no understanding of the surface world, and had no idea how long their supplies would last before running out. She knew they'd just be running from one dire moment to the next if they were by themselves. They needed shelter and a place to learn. To adapt to the surface. They needed a home.

She reached out, taking the other woman's hand in her own.

"I join. Phylla too."

"Phylla...." Bailian said with a smile, "Great! Grab your stuff, let's go meet the girls."

Kwaya shook her head, "No stuff, only us."

"Even better," and with that, the first disciple of Alma quickly walked away, Kwaya and Phylla behind her. The small red-haired girl never let go of her as they moved through the mostly intact fort, stepping over puddles and the odd pack of gear or two. When they got to the entrance, the gate was knocked down, small indents showing throughout the stone frame that once held it. She stopped for a moment to look at the damage, then sharply looked up when a loud booming noise echoed out.

Bailian pulled her hand out of the indent she'd made on the stone frame that had previously held the gate. Kwaya couldn't believe that such a small person could hit that hard, and she could tell that Bailian knew what was going through her mind.

"Come on little girl, let me show you some of this big big world we have out here."

Time sped back up. It turned out that they hadn't killed the Evolvers, after all, which Walker appreciated. They didn't seem like a bad sort, and were simply following orders while trying to maintain their own moral code. The girls hadn't been mistreated from what he could tell, and it looked like Kwaya even had a few she spoke with quietly when given the chance. The Awakened who held them prisoner treated them in the same way, which threw Walker for a loop as his old world's memories were springing up left and right. No bars, no forced labor. If they could carry a bed, they were allowed to do so. The only real part of their being prisoners was that they were constantly under watch. He wasn't even sure it was necessary.

As they traveled, Walker got to see more of the Origin. The grass seemed to change and shift in colors as they moved, taking on different elements based on whatever was nearby. In a seemingly hot area with an active volcano, the grass was red, whereas near the water, it turned blue. The group passed by a frost-covered plain, a clear divide between the white grass and snow there and the blue grass and water right next to it. They often stopped just to gather some of the crops, eating it as if it was the best tasting thing they'd ever had.

The weather shifted just as much, from rain and sleet one day, to a hot day reminding him of the Sahara desert the next. To Walker's eyes, it was chaos, but to everyone else, it was just how the world was.

While they traveled, Bailian got a few of the fighters to train Kwaya in Morningstar lessons after hearing about the makeshift weapon she'd been using. She was fairly bad at the beginning. Consistently hearing the words, bad habits breed bad fighters, as they pushed her to get rid of her old ways of doing things. Move your feet like this. Use the swinging speed of the star to do the work, not your muscles, or you'll wear yourself out. You're not built like a man, so why fight like one?

After more than two months, she'd become what they deemed as proficient in fighting. On the third, right after one of the scouts had said they'd be entering a village nearby, Bailian presented Kwaya with her own set of leathers sized to fit her. Green to the short woman's black, the color seemed to display ranks within the unit. Even though she was the lowest rank in their company, Kwaya still showed them a bright smile and a learned bow as thanks.

The next day saw them walking into a small village, Kwaya ever careful to move in her leather outfit with the grace she saw the others show. That was when something curious happened. Bailian walked toward the empty center of the commerce area, a few hundred villagers standing nearby, and asked if anyone would like to defend it. When none of the villagers stepped forward, especially after seeing the sizeable group of people enter, Bailian declared that the village was now claimed for the Awakened. What Kwaya hadn't seen when they'd taken the fort was a skinny beam of light shot into the sky after a certain amount of time had gone by.

When asked, Bailian had said that the system recognized that the village was now theirs, and they'd be having a party to celebrate their recent conquest.

Walker intentionally asked the Book of Souls to slow it down momentarily. The scene in front of him stuttered for a moment, then rewound and placed him in Kwayas mind.

"I...don't understand. System?"

Bailian was eating a large broccoli-like vegetable she continually dipped in a black sauce, "Yep, the all-powerful system. Without it, we'd have to kill everyone we saw. Instead, they get added to our prisoner numbers, sign a statement saying if they turn against us they'll be punished by the Origin itself, and everyone moves on with their lives. THEIR lives" She pointed her food at the group of people eating nearby. They'd been moved into the village after the women's brigade had concluded their conquest. "They're just normal people, like the villagers here. Their Lords, the Evolvers, forced them to enter into the war. As soon as we showed up at the gates, they stepped out, realized what Company we were, and turned themselves over. No fuss." Dipping her food into the sauce she took another bite, "I don't want to kill simple simple folk, would you?"

"But...." Kwaya searched for the right word, "I thought the Evolvers were the enemy?"

Bailian shook her vegetable in the air, "Sure, sure. But, those are just regular people. Each of them got an Evolution stone at the start of their lives, as the Origin requires, and boom, the system opened up to them. Now they're just another part of this big crazy, crazy world. Just regular folk with a simple evolution, each."

Kwaya touched her chest, her eye quickly finding Phylla laughing with one of the women's company, before turning back to Bailian, "But, I never received an Evolution stone."

Bailian took a last bite of her food, the crunch sounding out in their small space, then looked over at her, "Where did you say you were from again?"

"The below."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, and where is that?"

"Under.....all of the water. Yeah, deep under the water."

She scratched her neck, "Well, I'm not sure how you weren't given a stone, but we can change that right now." She snapped her fingers and one of the other women in green stepped over, "Get Kwaya a simple evolution stone...no, wait. An advanced." The woman in green paused for a moment, not really understanding the request. Bailian gave the confused girl a smile when she didn't run off right away, and that put some speed into her feet. She quickly returned with a small see-through stone with a yellow light in the center. "Here." She said, throwing it to her. "Everyone gets a different ability, purely based on who they are as a person. What they've done. Who their family is. However, the stones have tiers and ranks that affect the power of the evolution possible. It's all very organized, very organized." She finished with a nod.

Kwaya lifted it up, admiring the pretty color within, "But, I thought the Evolvers.."

"Jeezzzz....." She replied, "The lords, those at the top of the Evolvers, they're the enemy. Not the system or evolutions themselves. All of us have some. Heck, I have more than ten, myself."

Kwaya nodded, somewhat understanding, "So, what do I do?"

"Easy. Crush it in your palm."

"Crush it in my palm....." Kwaya gripped the rock as hard as she could. A moment later, it popped and a yellow light drifted out and shot straight into her eyes.

A moment later, Kwaya let out a slight squeal, causing Bailian to laugh. Her hands glowed blue for a moment, and then a piece of food drifted over to her hands, looping around before falling on the ground right before her.

Bailian clapped twice, "Telekinesis! Nice! That's quite the rare one Kwaya. You're a lucky girl. Lucky, lucky."

Walker felt the book shudder a little, the scene in front of him moving and turning as if he was experiencing an earthquake. He didn't know why, but it reminded him of his time limit and how much of Kwaya's life he'd been watching. She couldn't be more than fifteen at this point, so it got him thinking. Worried now that he was running out of time in the metaphysical world, and the task involved, he asked the book to go to the biggest moments only, specifying that they should be focused on system manipulation.

He shot out of Kwaya's vision and into a space of darkness. Hundreds of screens appeared in front of him. Thousands. Each playing a different memory. In one, Kwaya kills someone for the first time. In all of her travels, she'd only ever damaged a person enough to force them to leave her alone, but now, as she was on her knees.....

The next screen took his attention. Phylla was all grown up. She stood much taller than her former villagers, taller even than Walker if he was guessing right. Covered in armor, she waded through a crowd of people, a Warhammer on one arm and a shield on another. With her red hair streaming, she crushed anyone who got in her way as she led the efforts to a man with long hair, tied in chains on a podium while a crowd screamed close by.

Another screen showed Kwaya taking a knee as that same man connected a stream of darkness from his chest to hers. That screen abruptly winked out, disappearing and not showing what happened next.

Each time the man appeared in the screen, it would wink out right after. As if these parts of her soul had been carefully edited and removed, the memories forever lost.

Walker didn't have time to ponder on that, as hundreds of screens shot by his vision.

Fighting in the war.

Traveling to the top of a mountain for advice about the world.

Going home as they were threatened by the Evolvers for her actions in a recent battle.

Making love for the first time.

Setting fire to a village for a reason he didn't and couldn't see.

Kwaya looking at her reflection, covered in blood. Walker mentally noted the wrinkles of war on her brow, forever staining who she could've been had this not happened.

The book shuddered again, causing him to stop watching a scene where Kwaya was holding a dead Phylla in her arms, crying into her chest. The blue blood dripping from her hands formed a pool below. He couldn't even guess how much time had gone by. The next screen pushed forward, taking over his vision.

Kwaya stood in front of an ancient machine. Fifty years after the blood grass had formed and the sun had gone dark. Only thirty years after she had buried Phylla and taken to researching the Origin and the system that empowered it. She'd been named the Head System Administrator after Alma had gone on another one of his trips. Now, only two days after her triumph had been announced, she was bound and placed in front of a massive machine, its purpose unknown.

The Evolvers had captured her from the Awakened capital in a daring move. Who knew how many Evolvers and the Souled had been sacrificed to get to her? How many souls would never truly be reclaimed? All for her.

The tall man in front of her spoke again, as he thought she hadn't been listening.

"What is the purpose of the system? We know that you've learned the truth. How did this world come to be!"

She looked at her chains. They were made of omni-alloy, a bond only recently discovered by one of their best blacksmiths. She couldn't help but think the woman had gone traitor, though that may not be the case. Evolvers were always quite tricky. Not as good as her, but still.

A hard slap rang out, shaking her out of her thoughts even though her head didn't budge. She was far too empowered for that to hurt her.

"What is it! We know you know!"

She spat to the side, just to prove there was no blood in her mouth.

The screen stayed the same, but time sped forward. They tried a hundred different ways to get her to speak, but she held firm and said not a word. It wasn't until they brought out a captured and thoroughly beaten Bailian that she showed any reaction. Time slowed down again.

"Let her go." She said, speaking for the first time in over a week of captivity.

"Oh, we will, but first, you'll do something for me. I understand that you have no interest in telling us about the system. A contract, perhaps? So instead, we're going to build our own, and you're going to help us."

"Why would I ever do that, you pissian mouthbreather?"

The tall man laughed, he'd never given her his name, "Why? Because we'll leave, that's why. We're tired of the Awakened. Tired of the war. We spent the last of the Godeaters capturing Bailian here, along with a sizeable piece of Origin. You're going to use that to build us a system from scratch." A fanatical light entered his eyes as he continued speaking, "Something new, that only we can use. No more will we be tied to Evolution Stones and their slow procurement. No more will we have to worry about your damned race coming in and causing revolutions over the nonsense that was solved thousands of years ago. No, we're going to be in control now."

Kwaya looked from him to Bailian, who was unconscious on the floor. The only reason she knew the small woman was alive was because her chest was still moving up and down, "And you'll let her go?"

The man looked at Bailian, giving her a swift kick and causing her body to slam into the wall, loudly. Kwaya's chains clinked as she instinctively wanted to go to her former mentor, but the omni-alloy held. The man continued speaking, "Of course we will. I have no interest in the Fire Devil."

"I have your word, on the system?"

The man sent over a contract already imprinted with his signature, a blue octopus holding onto multiple towers in a green frame. "Already done."

Kwaya nodded, "I'll do it."

The screen zipped forward ten years. When it slowed down, Kwaya was standing in front of the ancient machine again, although this time on a small planet. Hundreds of ships floated in the atmosphere, each holding an untold amount of Evolvers and their families and staff. She stepped forward and Walker was pulled in again.

Kwaya dipped her hands into the origin, before waving them through the air. She pointed them straight at the machine, and through a small hole near the front, it flew it. The machine began to buzz as it turned itself on, and only a moment later, it exploded, small particles drifting out to space and touching everything. As it touched each person and ship, they would give off a golden glow for a moment, before fading away. Kwaya made a change to the system, needing to test that she had full control of things. Moving her arms, she told it that she wanted a world to spring up to her right as the Origin kickstarted, firing primordial energy into the sky. A moment later, a world of metal appeared.

Kwaya tsk'd, then formed her hands into a lift and push. A moment later, the world faded away, and the resources she'd used came back to her, updating in her newly made overlay. She nodded, then turned to the man next to her.

"I'll have the Center up in a moment."

Walker was shot out of the screens and darkness a minute later. He collapsed to his knees as the memories of what he experienced collectively pushed into his mind, finding space amongst his own history. For a moment, he was both Kwaya and Walker at the same time. Then, his mind adjusted, and he was just Walker again. The Book of Souls had already receded back into his chest, its power mostly spent, and he was alone in the metaphysical realm with a dark computer by his side.

He tried to think about why the Book of Souls would show him that memory of all things. Why fast forward through all of Kwaya's earliest memories to stop there? What was the point?

He reached into his now joint memories and rewatched Kwaya delete the metal world from existence. Then, it hit him. A lift and a push.

Walker began to laugh.