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halloweennut · 2 years

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Once Shattered, Now Whole: Chapter 1

In which more things of the past are revealed, Mara as secrets, and Chiro wonders how much he’s missing. Skeleton King plans a visit to a far off planet (heads up, long one here. also CW: implied PTSD and trauma).

Adjusting to life back home on Shuggazoom was different than how Mara expected it. Certainly a lot more war, and the monkeys were a surprise to say the least. But she woke up to an open room in a comfortable bed, no bars and no guards and no chains. Still couldn't eat regular food, but she was up to protein shakes at least. Mara was happy nonetheless - finally free from two prisons, both physical but one spiritual as well, and she was home. Her son was safe and healthy, on a better path than she was at his age, and he had found a family that loved and protected him as much as she did and wished she had been able to while away.

What was hard was the difference eight years made.

Part of her still expected that eight-year-old in his little school uniform to turn the corner and run to her, happily babbling about his day. Instead, Chiro was sixteen, tall as her chin, and was practically a war general. She was proud of the young man he became, of course...but she longed for the years between the two versions of her son in her mind. So many moments missed, so many triumphs she wished to have been there for, so much pain she wished to have shouldered for him. There was so much to make up for. Chiro understood why she had been gone for so long - it was a damn good reason - but guilt pressed every nerve in her body.

So she made pancakes. Specifically, ones shaped like rocket ships. The ingredients were a little pricey, what with the blockades and most items being diverted to the effort, but it was worth it.

"Pancakes?" Antauri asked, watching the rhythmic way she made each one. "You've been up for how long making them?"

"Only an hour!" Mara protested. "I wanted to do something special as a thank you, and because I wanted to surprise Chiro. These were his favorites when he was little-"

She froze, jerking the pan back to stop the flip and looked at him with some distress. "You don't think he's too old for them, do you? Should I make normal ones?"

"I do not think so," he shook his head. "I think he'll appreciate them. And if not, Otto seems to be enjoying them."

"I am!" Otto happily replied from the table. "She needed a taste tester."

"For the first few to make sure I didn't mess them up! And for the awkward ones," Mara reminded him. "Save some for everyone else! I'm almost out of batter."

"You know how long its been since we've had pancakes?" Otto asked. Mara raised an eyebrow.

"Beat eight years."

Otto looked down at his plate at that.

"Regardless, I know you're all busy today, and I know Chiro could use a distraction. I know he's been restless lately," Mara turned back to Antauri. "That skeleton freak has been quiet and Gibson hasn't dropped the sidebar on him yet. Which I'm a little glad about, honestly, but knowing him-"

"He'd much rather be actively helping than just planning sometimes," Antauri chuckled. Mara laughed at that, sliding the last few pancakes onto a plate.

"That sounds right for my kid," Mara replied. "Though at his age, I wasn't exactly altruistic. Granted, I was running purely on survival mode."

She flipped the pancake high in the air.

"He's a good kid."

"Who is- are those rocket ship pancakes?"

Mara turned to the doorway, seeing Chiro and his growing grin. "Yep. Your favorite!"

"Yes!" He replied, punching his fist in the air, but winced, clutching his arm. "Ouch-"

Mara clicked her tongue worryingly, walking over to kiss his forehead before maneuvering him to the table. "Don't do that star sweeper. Maybe you should talk to Gibson about a soak in the bacta-tank."

"I'd rather keep them open in case someone really needs it. Besides, I'm almost all better!" Chiro reassured. Mara rolled her eyes, ruffling his hair before placing a plate in front of him. "Thanks, mom."

"Anything for you, and the team of course," Mara replied grabbing her own plate, sitting down next to him. "I made plenty."

"Where did you get the ingredients? The blockades have been insane lately," Chiro said around a mouth of pancakes.

"I had to dip into some pocket change, haggle, maybe toss around a few people," she replied with a smirk."...I'm joking about the last part."

Chiro grinned back. Mara cleared her throat.

"Speaking of pocket change, I have to go to the bank and a few other places. Wanna ride shotgun?" She said. "We're both sidelined, and I could use a ridealong."

"I don't know, the team needs me, and if the Skeleton King decides to strike today-," Chiro began.

"We can alert you immediately," Antauri said.

"It'll be like old times when we would go run errands," Mara added. "Except maybe...we pick up one of my cruisers and ride in style. Maybe let you drive it..."

She looked at him mischievously from the corner of her eye, mouth turning up into a grin as Chiro's barely hidden excitement. Those cruisers were her pride and joy, and they were by all means collector's cars. The fact he was being given near permission to drive one before he turned 18? No way could he pass that up. "Yes! I mean, as long as the team can reach me."

"Go get your coat then," Mara said before pausing, realizing a quick flub. "Wait, scratch that, you wear a sweater now."

Chiro brushed that off with a wry grin. It wasn't the first time she had fussed like that since she returned. Part of her was still primed for him being eight, sixteen being almost foreign ground to gain her bearings on. At the very least, a lot of it was still applicable - ruffling his hair, silly jokes, and now, rocket ship pancakes. Besides, it hadn't been that long! Mara still was adjusting after all, and more than she let on. There were times he caught her staring blankly out into a once familiar city, or waking up early in the morning or in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. She never spoke about why she did or couldn't sleep, but she would smile in that familiar way and ruffle his hair before pulling him into a hug. Chiro tried not to worry too much, but some part of him did, despite her saying not to.

Pulling up to the hangar she once called home showed a different side to her. Chiro watched tension fall from Mara's shoulder the second they entered and the lights crackled to attention. She stretched her arms out to the room, as though welcoming it back to life.

"Oh is it good to be back!" she said happily. "Definitely need to come in and clean though...tsk...I told Arch to put his tools away..."

"Arch?" Chiro asked.

"Head mechanic!" Mara replied, picking up an old kit of wrenches, the leather wrap faded and warped and the tools in want for repair. "He made your mobile when you were a baby and insisted on putting everything together for your nursery. I swear, that guy could fix anything, but always left a mess..."

She sighed, tucking the kit into a tool chest. "They were all good people..."

"Sounds like Otto," Chiro said, bumping into her arm. He watched the smile return to her face.

"Ha, you're right. Arch could also put away a meal like a beast," she laughed, slinging her arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go get that hotrod. We're going out in style."

The hangar of cruisers was as Chiro remembered if a bit brighter with the lights. "Hopefully they all still work...and aren't too dusty."

"Well, if that's the case," Mara said, walking with an acute precision down the rows, like a general amongst her troops. "We'll have a fun project to work on together. I may not be as good as Otto or Arch, but I've done my time as a mechanic."

Chiro smiled at that idea. "Have any of these in mind?"

"Cherry Bomb," she replied with a click of her heel as she turned to face him before whipping a canvas cover off the back of one of the cars. It took a few seconds for the dust to settle before he could actually see the car. Mara's hand gently knocked on the back of a sleek cruiser - cherry red as the name would imply. It was older than both of them combined but had no trace of wear or tear. "First one I ever bought. Let's see if she still purrs."

Chiro quickly ran over jumping to the other side before gently opening the door and sliding in as his mother entered the driver's seat. The keys were still in the ignition. The two looked at each other and nodded before Mara twisted the keys and then-

The cruiser roared to life. Mara whooped. "Atta girl! We'll get you gassed up and do a maintenance check when we get back to the robot!"

She looked over a Chiro with a wide grin, revving the engine. "Ready, kiddo?"

He quickly buckled in. "Heck yeah!"

Mara drove more slowly than he thought she would. He understood, of course. It was an older cruiser and hadn't been driven in eight years, so taking it slow as to not crash or blow the engine was necessary. But she also was far more cautious than he expected.

"Mom, I think a snail just passed us," Chiro quipped. "He's going to beat us to the bank."

"Oh, hush," she chided. "It's um...it's been a while since I've been behind a wheel or helm. I will admit I'm a little nervous. I mean, you're in here too, so my brain is in protective mode."

"I think I'll be okay if we went the speed limit," he said.

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Fair point. Think you can handle it?"

"I think I can," he returned the grin. The engine roared as she sped up, weaving through the streets with a familiar hand. Still not going as fast as he pictured her, but once they got the car maintenanced, he could just imagine how fast and how wild she could maneuver it, and teach him how to as well! Soon enough, they pulled up the bank. Like many businesses, it was running on limited operations and was serving more as an enforced shelter. Mara walked in with steady confidence, Chiro close at her side as he tried to mimic the gait before stopping at the one opened window.

"Hello," the clerk said. "How may I help you?"

"Hi, I need to adjust some account details and get an update on my son's account," Mara said. He looked at her confused.

"I have an account?" Chiro asked. She returned the confused look.

"Well yes - technically it's a trust. The neighbors I left you with have been getting an allowance every month from it for you, and when you became an adult, you'd have full access," Mara replied. "Did they never tell you?"

Chiro shook his head. It did explain some things about his upbringing after she left though. Mara frowned at that.

"Okay, putting a pin there...," she said softly before returning back to the clerk. "It's under Mara Destiny."

'Pseudonym, smart,' Chiro thought as the clerk typed the name into their computer.

"Here you are. Your balance, ma'am, is 50 million credits," the clerk said. Chiro stared blankly, stunned at that. "And Chiro's trust is at five hundred thousand."

"Perfect," Mara said, unfazed. "Transfer another five hundred to the trust, would you? I'll also need an updated bank access chip."

"Right away, ma'am," the clerk said before leaving to do so. She turned to Chiro, who still looked stunned.

"My last job paid well," she explained. "And it's a pretty lucrative business."

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"That's a lot of credits."

"I was saving for a house and your university funds."

"What kind of house?? A mansion?"

"Actually, yes."

Before Chiro could speak further, the bank clerk reappeared. "Here you are ma'am!"

"Thank you," Mara replied, taking the chip. She rolled up her jacket sleeve to reveal a small wrist bracer and pressed a small button. A small chip was ejected, and she replaced it with the new one. The bank clerk took the old one for disposal. "All done!"

She smiled at Chiro, who only raised an eyebrow. "Are there any other secrets I should know?"

"Not until you're older, star sweeper," she laughed. "But if you have a specific question, I will answer it."

Chiro rolled his eyes and followed her out of the bank. "Where to next?"

"The apartment," Mara replied. "I need to go work out the paperwork and all that. Seeing as none of us live there..."

He paused. Chiro hadn't been in their apartment for years. He walked past it, every day growing up across the hall, waiting for the door to open but it never did. He wondered how much stayed the same, if it smelled like dust or the way it always had. Mara noticed him pausing. "You don't have to go there with me."

"No, no I want to go," he shook his head. "...can I drive there?"

"Maybe on the way back to the robot, okay?" she replied, hopping into the driver's seat. Chiro rolled his eyes but sat shotgun. Eventually, the busier streets of the city faded into calmer suburbs as they drove, and Chiro tried to remember the last time he went that way save during a fight. He hadn't exactly kept close contact with the couple who had taken care of him - they were always so busy anyway. Their old building pulled into view, all sleek and silver, and he remembered all the times he played outside or sat at the window to watch the weather - he could see it from the street. The curtains were faded and dingy, but they were still there. Mara sighed. "My first real home...our home."

"Is it?" Chiro said softly. "I..."

He couldn't finish the sentence, just opening the door to step onto the street. Mara looked up at the building, walking up the front steps, almost apprehensively, and subconsciously reached out for his hand, just like when he was little. Chiro reached past, putting in the code for the building, and swallowed the lump in his throat. The building honestly hadn't changed.

"They really haven't renovated, huh?" Mara said. "Incredible."

Their old hallway was also the same. Chiro suddenly felt younger, smaller. They walked down the hall, stopping between their old door and their neighbors'.

"I need to get the keys from the neighbors," she said. "And I need a word with them."

Mara knocked sharply. Chiro wondered if they were even still there or if they somehow didn't notice the war at their doorstep. But surprisingly, the door opened, revealing Mrs. Leone.

"Hello? Oh, Chiro! There you are- Mara??" Mrs. Leone exclaimed. "Where- what happened? To you?"

Mara shoved the door open to Chiro's surprise, eyes angry. "What happened, Jordan? I come back to Shuggazoom to find out my son is a child soldier and that you barely kept an eye on him! He didn't know about the trust I left for him, the one you were supposed to use to take care of him! I trusted you, and I find out he's been fighting to protect Shuggazoom since he was twelve!"

"Kurt and I were just so busy- and Chiro was always so self-sufficient-," Mrs. Leone protested.

"Because you failed at the one thing I asked you to do! Do you know how hard it is to get my son to accept help or take a break?" Mara poked the woman's chest. Chiro looked at her in disbelief, but they hadn't really been there the years they had him. "The people who have actually taken care of him have told me! I've seen it with my own eyes! He's a kid!"

"Now Mara that is not fair! You were gone for eight years!" Mrs. Leone spat back. "What, would you have preferred some other situation?"

"You precious little-," the captain snarled. "I trusted you! Now give me a reason why I shouldn't make a call and have you-"

"Mom! Stop, that's enough!" Chiro exclaimed. He was honestly upset at the display. "It doesn't matter anymore!"

Mara huffed, glaring at Mrs. Leone but stepped back. "Give me my keys. And if I find out you used the money for anything-"

"We honestly forgot about it," she replied cooly, pulling the keys from a side table. Mara took them roughly.

"Just like my son," Mara hissed. "Chiro, do you have anything here?"

"No," Chiro didn't mean to sound as clipped as he did, and took the keys from her. "Let's just get this over with."

Before she or Mrs. Leone could say anything more, he rushed out, gripping the keys tightly as he went across the hall. They left indents in his palm as he dropped the many to hold the main one, unlocking the door. The apartment was dark and drab and smelled stale. A coating of dust covered every surface, and there was a chill in the air. It was nothing like he remembered. His mother was nothing like he remembered sometimes. Everything had really changed, and he thought he caught all of them neatly in his mind. What else had he missed? Had he changed unknowingly? Chiro felt an uncomfortable catch in his throat. He heard the door click shut behind him.

"Chiro, I'm sorry-" he heard his mother say and he whirled around.

"What was that? Mom, I'm not a little kid! I can handle people being angry around me, but I expected...I don't know what I expected because there's so much I don't know about you anymore!" he exclaimed. It all bubbled from his chest. "First you're dead, then I find out you're a smuggler and were in jail, then you're alive and you're a different person than I remember! You have so many secrets and I don't know anything! I've never seen you so angry! And-"

He couldn't finish. Mara pulled him into a tight hug, gently shushing him. "I'm sorry star sweeper. I never wanted you to see that side of me, and I shouldn't have reacted like that. I just...I trusted her with the most important thing in my life..."

She leaned back to kiss his forehead, wiping tears from his cheeks. "And I know I have secrets, and there's still more to tell you. I just couldn't tell you before, mostly for your safety, and now still for that. But I'll let you know more, but there are some things I'm not ready to talk about yet. You're old enough."

"You promise?" Chiro murmured.

"Absolutely sweet boy. On the way back, I'll let you drive back to the robot, sound good?" she replied. He nodded. "Alright star sweeper, let's see what-"

Chiro felt her freeze. "Mom?"

"Someone was in here," she said quietly. "The dust isn't even."

He slowly turned, looking around the apartment. She was right. There were patches of dust that were gone, and recently too. Mara gently tugged him behind her. "Stay there..."

She quietly crept to the bookshelf, grabbed a box from the top shelf, and pulled out a small blaster. "I know- more secrets. I hid a few around the house."

Mara gestured for him to come closer. "If anyone is here, run and call for help. Okay?"

She didn't wait for a response - the order was too firm to be questioned - and quietly cased the open rooms of the apartment. Nothing in the living room or kitchen, nor the dining room, and there wasn't a sound. They reached the first bedroom- Chiro's. Mara charged the blaster, and quickly opened the door, ready to fire...and there was nothing. And in a literal sense, nothing. The room was ransacked. Furniture overturned or wrecked, and nearly everything was missing. The window was broken but closed. "My room..."

"Oh stars...all of your things! You had a favorite stuffed animal," Mara said weakly as she picked through the sheets of his bed. "It was a little monkey! You loved that thing-"

"Ironic now," Chiro tried to laugh. But he couldn't. Almost everything he had was gone from his past. Clothing, toys, even his school uniforms...He froze. Was this how the Skeleton King had gotten all of his things in that weird shrine? How had he known? By the looks of it, it had been sacked years ago.

"Wait, wait- you put it in my bedroom before I left! So that way someone would always be home-," Mara exclaimed. She quickly went to the next room, and Chiro heard her gasp and ran to her side.

"Mom! What-," her room was in a similar state, but all the more recently. "Oh no...Mom..."

Mara holstered her blaster silently. The life she had built was really taken from her in every way. "I hope...please still be here..."

She approached the bed, and pulled back the covers, somehow undisturbed in the wreckage. And lo and behold, there was a familiar stuffed monkey, a bit faded with time. Mara smiled, plucking it from the pillows before squeezing it tight before turning to Chiro. "I think this belongs to you."

He took it gently, running a thumb over the well-worn plush. He remembered it then, tucking it into her bed before she had led him across the hall, how he loved the thing. "I remember how you had to sew the eyes back on constantly."

"It was well-loved," Mara replied. "And I never minded."

She sighed. "At least that is still here, and the photo albums are still on the shelves, so I'll take that."

"Maybe there's something else? Not everything could have been stolen," Chiro offered. It was weak. Everything personal to them was gone. Mara picked up a small jewelry box. She hadn't worn a lot of jewelry back then, but he remembered her having a lot of pretty things in it. Some of them were scattered on the floor, surprisingly so if it had been a normal robbery, but something told Chiro it wasn't.

"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied. She lifted a small hinged part of the box, revealing a small hidden compartment. "It's gone..."

There was an uncomfortable sound of sorrow in her voice. "Mom? What was it?"

"It- it was a ring. It meant a lot to me," Mara replied. "I can't remember how I got it or why it was but...it did."

She knelt down, picking up the pieces of jewelry on the ground, and perhaps in some attempt to find the ring. Chiro joined, placing the stuffed monkey down. But nothing of the sort was found. Chiro couldn't remember her wearing a ring, ever. But by the look on her face, he knew it was important. Perhaps, this was one of those secrets she wasn't ready to talk about yet. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be...," she said. "I'm just confused. All these pieces are valuable. ]Why only take a few? A lot of things in the apartment are still here too. And why steal your things? It makes no sense."

"I have an idea of what happened," Chiro sighed. "You won't like it."

The ride home was quiet. Chiro drove slowly, mostly for his mother's benefit. She had the stuffed monkey in her lap, and the items they could recover were in the back. He knew that, once she got over the shock of the Skeleton King raiding their home, she'd be pulling out the baby pictures to show the team, and more than likely and horrifically Jinmay. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her worry the same paw that he always did. Soon, the robot came into view.

"Once we get Cherry Bomb docked," Mara said, breaking the silence, "We'll show her off to Sprx and Clayton. Then we can run a diagnostic and see how she's doing."

"Sounds like a plan," Chiro replied. "I was thinking...maybe that little guy would feel safe with you for a bit? I mean, I don't want you to think I don't want him anymore, but-"

Mara laughed. "You said that when you put him in my bed - that he'd feel safer there. But yes, I'll keep him safe."

She paused for a moment as they slowly docked.

"I think I'm going to need a minute after we run the diagnostic. I'm alright, I just...there's a lot on my mind right now," she said. "I'm sorry-"

"No, I think I do too...," he replied. "Maybe we can make those brownies with the leftover stuff from breakfast?"

"I was just thinking the same thing, star sweeper," Mara smiled, leaning to kiss his forehead. "Come on, let's unpack and get those two so we can show off the hotrod."

That night, despite everything and anything and a warm stack of brownies that she was finally allowed to eat, Mara sat in the observation deck, alone as the world was quiet, save the occasional hum or click of machinery and monitors. Nearly everyone was asleep by then. The Sun Riders were taking care of the night-shift patrols with the volunteers, and her son and the rest of the team were asleep. Or so she thought.

"Mara? You're awake."

She turned to see Antauri approach. She forgot that he didn't need to sleep like the rest of the team. Mara nodded, clutching the stuffed monkey close to her chest. "Yeah...couldn't sleep."

"Chiro told us about the apartment," he floated at her side, legs crossed. "That must have felt so violating."

"It does," she said softly. "I'd never had an apartment or a house before that one. And now...I don't think it could ever be mine or Chiro's again..."

"I am deeply sorry," Antauir replied, watching as she buried her face in the stuffed animal. "Mara?"

"I don't want people to see me like this," her voice was muffled. "I just...I thought I could leave so much pain behind when I got back. But it seems like it just keeps getting rehashed."

"Mara, do you...do you want to discuss these things? You haven't been sleeping well, and I have noticed some patterns of disassociation, extreme caution, and anger," he replied. He heard her sigh - she knew it herself. "There's no shame in it."

"I'm...I'm a captain. I'm strong for everyone, especially my son," Mara weakly protested. "But being back there..."

She raised her head up, and Antauri could see a faraway look in her eyes before they focused on him.

"What I tell you, it doesn't leave this room. Chiro can never know. I only just...realized what happened," Mara said. Antauri nodded.

"I won't discuss it, I promise," he replied. "What happened?"

Mara sighed and took a deep, steadying breath. "This isn't the first time someone- something has broken into our apartment."

Chiro had always been clever, so clever. He figured out quickly how to get out of his crib, especially if he was protesting bedtime. It had become a pattern when he turned three. Mara would put him to bed, and not even ten minutes later he would toddle out of his room and straight to her lap. She didn't have the heart most of the time to put him right back. How could she say no to those bright eyes and unruly mop of hair? He would smile and babble and Mara could only just pull him close to her chest, rocking until sleep finally took him for the rest of the night, and right back to his bed he'd go.

One night, after following their routine, perhaps an hour later, Mara heard a thud from his room. She assumed, at first, that Chiro woke up and would come running out. But that didn't happen. There weren't any sounds of playing or babbling or even crying from his room. Her mind immediately went to the worst scenario: that he fell out of bed trying to get out and had really hurt himself. She sprinted from the couch, and burst into the room...and screamed.

A hulking figure stood over her son's crib, looking more like an animated shadow or an inkblot come to life, the only flash of anything in the pitch was a mimicry of a skull for a face. Chiro was sound asleep, unaware of the chaos above him, the danger that was posed as the creature had extended its large claws toward him. It looked at Mara in surprise, framed by the dim light of the suburbs from the open window. It let out a screech before leaping from the room and to the street below. Mara quickly grabbed a hidden blaster - out of reach of curious toddlers - took aim...and the creature was soon only a splattered mess on the pavement below. The reverb of the blaster woke Chiro up, and he sobbed, screaming from the sound. She was quick to drop it, slamming the windows shut before picking up her son, cradling him close, and soothing him until he fell asleep. But Mara didn't put him down. She grabbed a packed bag - as she always had ready, just in case - packed him into her car, and sped off to the hangar.

They spent a few nights there. Her crew cased the place for weeks afterward, someone always keeping an eye on the windows. And Mara circled a large house for sale at the center of the city. It hadn't been owned in decades, abandoned by some missing millionaire, but even then the security was still state of the art. She only needed a few more jobs to get it, and then...they'd be safe.

"I only just found out what it was...," Mara continued.

"A Formless? But how?" Antauri asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know. I didn't know anything about any of this back then. But he knew, somehow. That's why a Formless was there that night, it must be. That's why they broke into our apartment for his things - but why mine?" Mara replied.

"It's strange. The Skeleton King didn't know who Chiro was until he unlocked the Power Primate and woke us...perhaps there's more than we know to that prophecy...," Antauri pondered. "It could be that by destroying that scout, you prevented him from any action concerning or knowing about Chiro until later. He must have sensed the shift in the Power Primate when Chiro was born and sent scouts to look for him."

"So he's always known Chiro existed, and then stole his things?" Mara asked. "Why? And why mine as well?"

"I am unsure. It could be part of his obsession with destroying us, and now that he knows who you are...you're in this as well," Antauri replied. Mara sighed.

"I'm going to shoot that bag of bones between the eye sockets and turn the crystal into a lovely chandelier like a messed up trophy."

"I can't think of anyone who'd stop you."

The Skeleton King parsed through the items taken from his hero's apartment. Unfortunately, the original collection he had was destroyed, but the new additions were a decent replacement. A few photos were of interest, since he only had such a limited range of what his former general had looked like in life, some articles of clothing, a blaster and ammo, all fairly standard. But what held his attention was the crystal and silver ring the scouts had brought back. His former general had hidden it away from view. The band was delicately woven together, interlocking bands of metal and mineral forever intertwined. There were few like it in the cosmos and fewer who knew its worth. The Skeleton King figured she would know the value of such a thing, and kept it hidden for that alone, as any sane person would do with something so rare. After all, it was what she had managed to do, inadvertently, with their hero.

And yet...

He plucked it from the pile of things taken, and it rested in his palm, dwarfed by his hands. It felt heavier somehow, warmer too. It was an unfamiliar sensation, long forgotten in the Black Spire where sunlight dared not breach. The Skeleton King held the ring under the dim light of his castle, watching the ways it caught the light. The crystal shined like its home planet of Korolodol, precious and guarded. Well, until recently. He held his sway over the place still.

Perhaps the Veron Mystics could explain how such a thing ended in his General's hands.

#srmthfg #srmthfg chiro #srmthfg skeleton king

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