Origins (Book 4 of Alfireán age)

The Zikarôns

As the last of the officials filed out, King Delavarian turned to the guards and said, "You are dismissed as well."

The soldiers saluted and quickly left the throne room, leaving it empty except for Zaphaniea, her friends, the king, his daughter, and the three former guardians. Once the double doors shut behind the guards, the king unsheathed his crystalline sword and thrust it into the floor.

With a grinding shudder, the blade sank to the hilt, and thick rocks slid over the doors, sealing them in.

King Delavarian stood and proclaimed, "The secrets of the zikarôns are known only by the guardians. Although the officials are aware of their existence, their exact function remains a mystery to them. And it shall continue to be so for everyone but those in this room." Saying this, he glanced back at Drake, who stood to the left side of the granite throne.

The prince, dressed in his black and gold attire and sporting a leather patch over his dragon eye, resembled a young pirate as he nodded.

The King then looked meaningfully at Zaphaniea and her group.

Zaphaniea, somewhat surprised, nodded back. She hadn't expected Drake to be included in this secretive gathering, especially considering the earlier hostility between him and Valarinnia. However, if she had to guess, it was likely part of the agreement the prince had made with the king when he agreed to let Merinia make his vassals into guardians.

"Good," King Delavarian sighed, sitting down heavily on his throne. "Rinnia, would you explain the zikarôns to them?"

The princess glanced at her father, her expression tinged with worry.

"I'm fine," he assured her, waving his hand dismissively as the sun gems shone behind him. "The wound is healing nicely; I'm just tired."

Uncertainty filled Valarinnia's violet eyes, but after a moment's hesitation, she sighed and walked down the stairs towards Zaphaniea.

Zaphaniea's curiosity boiled over, and she reached for her cylinder. However, Ferrous, the wind sprite, flew between her hand and the device, stopping her. "No," Ferrous hissed, breaking her long silence. "Non-guardians cannot touch them without risking serious bodily harm."

"Ah," Zaphaniea said, pulling back her hand.

Valarinnia reached the wind pillar and carefully picked up the cylinder. Holding it up to the light, she explained, "The zikarôns are pre-dragon artifacts constructed of ancient magic and technology. They were discovered on the first level of the caves under the city several centuries ago during the Mecha Calamity. What their original intended purpose was, we don't know. However, we do know they primarily serve to record and transmit memories. And that," she said, her black, chin-length hair swinging as she turned, "is how we guardians have mastered the elements."

"Oh, so they're not some kind of superpower then?" Alf asked, eyebrows raised in surprise as he gazed at the artifact beside him.

"No," the King's deep voice rumbled. "The zikarôns allow us to pass on our experiences, among other things. But they are essentially advanced memory crystals with a hint of sentience. Our mastery over the elements is derived from the experiences of previous guardians and the original zikarôn owners."

"Original owners of the zikarôns?" Olivia asked, twisting her fingers in her white healer's robes. No doubt she was trying to keep herself from grabbing the machine and dissecting it, Zaphaniea thought to herself with a chuckle.

"Yes," Valarinnia confirmed. "But our understanding of them is limited because downloading non-organized memories is extremely risky. Doing so can lead to madness or losing oneself entirely." With that, the princess turned to Zaphaniea and instructed, "Please kneel."