KEEPERS - 3

After a while of entertaining the pups and their never ending curiosity, the couple was approached by Khaldor once more. Koru let his magic wane and fade, earning some unhappy ‘aww’s from the youth. Smiling to himself, Koru brouht his attention to the Haedian. 

“The young seem positively enamored by your show of the surface. And I admit us older generations have been keeping a keen ear on your presentation as well,” the Haedian smiled to Koru and Xayah. “You both sound as though you were bottomless wells of knowledge and history. Would you like to share this knowledge with us on a deeper level?”

Koru looked to Xayah at the offer, though he knew they both would love the idea. And the approving smile on Xayah’s face was a testament to the truth of that assumption. Turning back to Khaldor, the duve nodded. 

“We’d be honored to contribute to your library, Khaldor.” Koru replied.

“Wonderful,” Khaldor reached beside him and retrieved a deep green crystal. As it moved, the endless facets within shifed in verdant hues, with magic that flowed as runes and letters. “With your attunement to magic, we would like for you to channel these images- the information- into this crystal.”

Koru and Xayah looked over the gem curiously, keen eyes studying the magical vessel knowledge. “Seems similar in function to memory gems, though much more elaborate and layered with much space to hold information…” Koru mused to himself. “To learn the structure of these… I could save up much needed space in my library, and make room for further material.” Veering slightly off topic, all he needed was a nudge from his wife to return to the task at hand.  

The many pups were ushered off to entertain themselves with what they had learned already, so that the grownups could focus on more delicate matters. Khaldor instructed both Koru and Xayah on how to connect their magic to the crystal, and attune to it’s frequency. 

“It may feel overwhelming at first. The crystal is quick to draw you in, so be sure to keep a steady thought and level yourself as needed.” Khaldor extended the crystal slab for Koru and Xayah to connect to. “One at a time, please.”

—

Xayah’s eyes widened the moment Khaldor presented the crystal, eyes all but sparkling with excitement as she looked from it to her husband again. This was far from what she’d expected or planned in regards to diplomacy with the Keepers, but the vayron wasn’t about to complain. Far from it, actually. She was just as eager and excited as Koru to get her paws on the crystal to study, but she was able to stay focused on their current task. 

“Perhaps we can study it another time, my light.” Xayah hummed softly to her husband, sitting back on her haunches once more while she mulled over what she wished to add to the crystal. “Overwhelming isn’t impossible. Just… a hurdle. We should be able to keep our thoughts and minds level.”

Xayah tilted her head as she stared at the crystal, the stone similar in color to her husband’s scarab earring and the scarf around his neck. Perhaps she could show the archives and their own methods of knowledge storage and archival processes. They’d displayed the visuals of it all and given a surface level explanation of how it all worked, but this? With this, she could really pour all of what she knew into the crystal. 

“I’ll put all of my knowledge on the different archives into the stone.” Xayah said simply, reaching to hold the stone and make sure her grip was secure and firm so she wouldn’t drop it whenever the stone draws her in.

Xayah closed her eyes and let her magic flow through the stone, thinking of nothing more than the archives she spent all of her time in before she met Koru. The history behind the large building and the purpose for its architecture. The many, many windows that allowed for light to reach every corner, no matter where the reader may be located. The way things were organized, the methodical and in depth process resulting in a large guide book being made. Where it sat on an equally large lectern for all to use as they needed to find where exactly their chosen scrolls or books were located in the archive. Only the oldest of archive tenders knew the book in its entirety, with not even her knowing it by heart yet. 

As she finished pouring all of her knowledge on the subject into the crystal, Xayah slowly opened her eyes while her magic tapered off. It was… a bit of an odd experience, but not unpleasant. So she gave Koru a warm smile, extending the firmly grasped crystal for him to take.

“What will you show them, my light?”

—

Koru watched with great intrigue as Xayah channeled her magic into the crystal. The threads pulled deep within the facets, forming into new runes. The focused furrow of her brow was reminiscent of the times they had practiced magic together, bringing a nostalgic smile to Koru’s face. Him and Khaldor watched quietly to allow Xayah to complete her connection, before expectant eyes were finally on Koru. The crystal sat heavy in his paws as Xayah relinquished the magical wonder to him. Koru had to push away his curiosity all the more, now that he could turn the crystal in his grasp and see all the different facets of runes within. 

Xayah’s question brought a hum. “Would we have the time, I would have so much to share,” he chuckled. “But for now, I will follow a familiar subject on the star charts, expanding upon an archive specialized in astronomy.” Koru took note of Xayah’s choice to share of the many archives, and closed his eyes. 

Images of scrolls, tomes, and charts filled his mind and he felt the crystal draw him in. It was like a subtle tug at the back of his mind, before the floodgates yawned open and he was near swallowed within. Everything he conjured within his mind was learned, absorbed by the crystal; the eastern isles of Warrenfall. The verdant woods and the massive building housing an observatory, as well as endless shelves of knowledge within. Koru’s mind recalled memorized star maps and the study of arcanic runes, pouring the endless hours of study into a compact well of information. 

When he finally released the connection to the crystal, he opened his eyes with a blink, readjusting to the scene around him before returning the crystal to Khaldor’s caring hands.

“Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Khaldor. We are both eternally honored to be a part of this expansive archive of history and knowledge.”