Jasper couldn't tear his eyes from the crystal, a dull, dead shard on the stone floor. It lay where the furious, pulsing energy of the demon core had been, right over Emmet’s heart. His hair was noticeably longer, his aura nearly collapsed, and the core itself was gone. The change was more than physical; it was a miraculous reversal of death. Still dumbfounded, Jasper processed the scene, trying to grasp the physics of what he was witnessing.

  "I’m pretty sure you were on the brink of dying," Jasper said, finally pointing at the crystal with a trembling hand. "But now it’s quite the opposite. Your divinity… it’s humming. What did you do?"

  Emmet replied, "You promised to talk to me and answer my questions when I’m ready. So I intend to do that. I’ll do the questioning first. But as thanks for saving my life—along with the one you called Lenka—I’ll gladly answer any of your questions too."

  Jasper composed himself and nodded. "Yes, let's do that." He guided Emmet to sit down. Emmet, shirtless, accepted the coat Jasper offered, grateful for the warmth. "Okay, to business then," Jasper said. "What is it you want to ask?"

  "Perhaps I’ll tell you now," Jasper said. "This place is an underground hideout. There are others like me and you here. All were supposed to be vessels, but most died due to their peculiarities."

  "You mean defects?" Emmet asked.

  "Well, yes," Jasper replied. "There are actually four of us here."

  "Okay," Emmet said. "You can tell me your life story, if you don’t mind. Start with being a vessel."

  "Ah, straight to the point then," Jasper said, a wry smile touching his lips as he handed Emmet a cup of hot drink. "In case you get bored of my story."

  Jasper began his narration:

  "Back when I was a baby, along with others like me, we were manufactured by the cult—intended for demon summoning. We were created for that very purpose. The babies were either kidnapped or artificially created, but all of us were divinants—life, warrior, elemental, shadow. We were merely prototypes."

  Emmet leaned forward, clutching the warm coat to his bare chest. "Prototypes for what? Why not just use normal people?"

  "To hold the power," Jasper explained. "But making babies as vessels posed a danger to the cult. When possessed by demons, the vessels could rebel and spiral out of control. So the cult developed a new method of summoning devils—creating demon altars and artifacts. This way, it was more controllable and efficient. I’m sure you already know that part, Emmet."

  "The babies, however, were altered for a different purpose. They were merged with corruption energy—what you call demon energy. Many babies got corrupted and died, their bodies exploding from the taboo energy. The survivors evolved and adapted, becoming vessels with various side effects to their physical traits."

  "One of the cultists, Jeniah, could no longer tolerate the experiments. She decided to escape with the babies she could save. Others helped her. The cult chased them, but Jeniah was the only one who managed to escape with four babies. That’s me and the others here."

  Jasper paused, a distant look in his eyes, thinking of Jeniah.

  "She took care of us. We hid from the cult. As we grew, we discovered our abilities. Jeniah taught us how to control them. She had knowledge of demon crystals—she was part of the cult’s research team. She taught us everything she knew.

  "As we grew older, we had to hide not just from cultists but from other humans. Our peculiarities could be harmful to others—even to each other. That’s why you don’t see me with the others."

  "Is that the entire history?" Emmet asked.

  "That’s the gist of it," Jasper replied.

  Emmet analyzed the story. "So your defects manifest differently depending on the wielder?"

  Jasper nodded. "Right."

  "Tell me more about your ability. I saw you create a sword from your bones."

  "Those were desperate times," Jasper said. "I don’t like doing that—it hurts my body. I can create small spikes from my hand bones."

  Jasper demonstrated. Emmet watched, fascinated.

  "Your divinity is warrior type," Emmet said. "You were strong when we fought. You emit a corrupted version of the warrior divinity."

  "Yes," Jasper said. "It’s not normal. You’re right—it’s corrupted. I got lucky. This is my only defect. Others weren’t so lucky. Some defects became unbearable. Most didn’t survive. Others chose to end it, fearing they’d harm those around them. The four of us remaining are the only ones I thought survived—until I found you."

  "And the crystal?" Emmet asked.

  "Jeniah taught us how to use it to gain some control over our divinity and lessen the effects. It worked. But as we grew older, the crystal’s effect started to decline."

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "So you helped me survive using the same method?"

  "Obviously. Since it worked for us, we knew it would work for you. You’re one of our kind. You can call us defective—altered divinants."

  "And thanks to that, I’m alive," Emmet said.

  Jasper then knelt. "Please, do what you did to heal yourself. Please cure the others. I got lucky—I can live normally. But the others can’t control their defects."

  Emmet said, "I’ll help you if I can. I don’t know if I can, but I’ll give it a try."

  Jasper looked away for a moment, then added, "I’ve been roaming around, searching for others like us. That’s how I found you."

  Emmet raised an eyebrow. "You mean when you were hunting for those artifacts?"

  Jasper replied, "Yes. The artifacts created those demon crystals."

  Emmet nodded. "We seldom encounter those related to the artifacts—like the amulet we once fought for. Mostly, what we find are demon altars, where bloodbounds offer deaths to gather the crystal."

  "Right, those altars," Jasper said. "Well, the crystals they produce are way too potent. And besides, they’re mostly guarded by cultists. We try to avoid them. We usually only chase those related to relics, since the crystals they produce are the same kind as this."

  Jasper reached into his coat and presented Emmet the crystal—the same crystal that had saved Emmet’s life.

  The room around them was dimly lit, carved into the earth like a forgotten tomb. The walls were lined with rusted metal panels and remnants of old machinery—broken monitors, cracked vials, and faded diagrams etched into the stone. A faint hum echoed from deeper within, where the cult’s abandoned experiments once thrived. This was Jeniah’s laboratory, hidden beneath layers of rock and secrecy.

  Emmet glanced around. "So this was hers?"

  Jasper nodded. "Jeniah built this place. It was her sanctuary, her lab, her refuge. She called it a laboratory, but it was more than that. It was where she tried to undo the damage the cult had done. Where she taught us. Where she saved us."

  Emmet ran his fingers along a cracked console. "It feels haunted."

  "It is," Jasper said. "By memory, by failure, by hope. We keep it alive because it’s the only place that ever felt safe."

  The lab had long since been repurposed into their hideout. Though incomplete and makeshift, it still bore traces of its original purpose—tools scattered across tables, utensils for experimentation, and half-finished devices Jeniah had once tried to build. She made do with what little she had, salvaging parts and knowledge from the cult’s ruins.

  Jasper's voice went quiet, becoming almost a whisper as he spoke of Jeniah. The quiet hum of the ancient machinery seemed to mourn with him.

  "She taught us to fight, to survive, and to be better than the monsters who made us. She was a teacher, a protector, and a mother to us all." He paused, tracing a line on the dusty console. "She died when we were still teens. Protecting us. They finally tracked her down. We escaped, but she stayed behind." He swallowed, regaining his composure. "She always said her redemption was us. She vowed to make us proper humans, to give us a chance at a life she never had."

  To Emmet, the parallel to his own mother, Nina, felt suddenly, heartbreakingly real. The memory of her care anchored him in the moment.

  Emmet looked at the crystal again. "Then let’s make sure it stays that way. If I can help the others, I will. But we’ll need more than crystals. We’ll need legacy."

  Jasper smiled faintly. "Then let’s start building it. One miracle at a time."

  Jasper leaned forward, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Tell me, how did you fix your broken divinity? And what is your true peculiarity? Is it your abnormal physical strength?"

  Emmet smirked. "Oh, you could tell?"

  "How else did you think I knew you were a vessel? You're too abnormally strong for an elemental divinant."

  Emmet hesitated, then nodded. "Well, it's hard to explain. I just realized it now—when Eanne was taken from me."

  "Who's Eanne?" Jasper asked.

  "She was kind of attached to my divine core. When she was forcefully snatched from me, my core was severely damaged. I lost the ability to access my elemental gift—the totems."

  Jasper leaned in. "Please, continue. How did you fix it?"

  Emmet paused, weighing his words. Though hesitant to reveal the truth, he felt indebted to Jasper for saving his life. Sharing the answer was the least he could do.

  "Well, it’s simple. I got the inspiration from demonic energy. I realized that when I accepted I was like you—a vessel—my body was immune to corruption. I tested a theory: maybe I could fill the gap, patch the damage, by bridging it with demonic energy."

  Jasper’s eyes widened. "And?"

  "I did it," Emmet said. "In my inner world."

  "Inner world? What is that?" Jasper asked.

  Emmet shrugged. "I'm not really sure how to explain it. It's like I just envision my divine core and think of it as a mental image. Somehow, I can feel it—like I have a visual image of it in my head."

  "Can you teach me that?" Jasper asked.

  "It can be different for everyone," Emmet replied. "So I'm not sure if it's something I can teach. I just know one day I could do it—like breathing."

  "And the demon crystal?" Jasper asked.

  Emmet nodded. "I made my own crystal. I created it myself."

  Jasper’s eyes widened in shock. "What? You can create it?"

  "More like I'm a naturally occurring filter," Emmet clarified. "I call it my 'essence forge.' When I draw in that raw, corrosive demonic energy—the stuff that kills normal vessels—my core doesn't get corrupted. Instead, it metabolizes it. It strips away the toxicity, converts the raw energy into a stable form, and then I use my elemental power to solidify it. It's like turning poison into medicine. Since you're not an elemental divinant, you may not be able to do the last part."

  Jasper nodded slowly. "Right. I don't think I can do the same thing."

  Emmet then said, "Well, I can help cure you—but only if that's what you want from me."

  Jasper looked up, surprised. "You would do that?"

  Emmet nodded. "Well, I'm curious too. I can't guarantee anything, but if you're willing, I might be able to advance my knowledge about this forge of mine. Don't worry—I'll try to stop it if I feel in any way that it will cause harm to you or me."

  Emmet added, "I never really got into it till now. Now that I felt the need. It was dangerous to use—especially around my friends."

  Jasper nodded. "I see. So you were afraid of your own power because it might harm others. And you think, just like you, we are also immune to corruption."

  Emmet said, "Well yes, you're on point. So if you're willing to try it, I am more than willing to explore it and possibly find a cure for you or your friends."

  Jasper, in his mind, felt he had found a cure—a stroke of luck that was hard to come by. He had scoured the world searching for answers, even stalking cultists and stealing data from them. But he couldn't understand their methods, much less figure out how to use them. Eventually, he gave up hope—not for himself, but for his friends, who had hidden themselves from the world, fearing they were a danger to others.

  A stroke of luck indeed. Jasper believed they were destined to meet Emmet. He would gamble on it, even though Emmet wasn’t certain. To Jasper, hope was enough—even if certainty was not.

  "Please," Jasper said. "I will repay you any way I can if you can cure me and my friends."

  Emmet shook his head. "Nah, I won’t require any payment. Consider this thanks for saving my life. Besides, it serves my personal goal too."