Kuro’s sitting on his bed reading a book. This is just before they left the castle from the looks of age. There’s a knock at the door.

“Kuro, can I come in?” whispers a male voice.

“What’s wrong, Kalan?” Kuro says, so it’s his brother. Kuro walks to the door and opens it silently. I can hear Kalan step in the room and the door close behind him. They walk to the bed and sit down. I can feel Kuro’s worry and Kalan’s fear. It’s dark outside and they have lessons in the morning.

“You know how I make it my mission to know everything there is to know about who serves who?” asks Kalan. I can hear Kuro nod his head, anxious to hear what his brother is saying. “I’m only telling you this because you’re most likely to know what to do. Khidell may be smart but your smart in the ways of people.” Says Kalan defensively. Kuro waits patiently, “Since father is deathly ill, Uncle has been gaining the loyalty of the guards. The maids say that he has been plotting to take the throne since Ryuu was born and has finally figured out how to gain the guards support.” Says Kalan he pauses and takes a breath. “I overheard him in his office just now talking with a stranger about how it would be best if he killed the heirs before they figured out his plan.” His voice shakes slightly at the end. There’s a pause and then Kuro remembers he was asked for help.

Kuro stands up, “Go pack a bag, only what you can’t live without not too much clothing, we’ll leave in two days.” Kalan stands and walks to the door.

“Where will we go?” asks Kalan as he grabs the door handle.

“Anywhere but here,” he says, “I’ll take care plotting our escape, tell Ryuu and Khidell what you’ve told me, got it?” I can hear Kalan agree and then exit the room. Kuro has a hard time breathing so I send calm feelings through the amulet. He takes a deep breath, “That’s right I’ve still got you, you’ve been with me even when no else was, and you’ll get me through this.” He pulls the amulet out and his eyes widen. In his eyes, I can see the color swirl before pointing North.

I watch as the boys escape underground and through secret passages they used to play in as small children, Khidell more than the others. He told Kuro he was fascinated with the complexity of the maze-like tunnels and drew a detailed map. From then on is their journey and then I get placed in Ryuu's bag once he finally loses patience with me, but he doesn't believe in me so the amulet won't lead him too close. The excuse he tells his brothers is that he can't see it anymore and they are so cold and hungry they buy it. When I'm taken out again, I can see my magic from Ryuu's bag. Not only can I see it all over the cave, but the magic emanating from me is huge, but perfectly round, meaning I have full control over it, even before this little trip. Ryuu's magic is more of an oval, which means that he has control, just not in all areas of his magic. Khidell's magic is like a paint splatter, but smooth, so he has enough control that he can make stable things, but he hasn't explored all of his magic ability, nor has he refined his magic. Kalan's magic is surprisingly round with only a few chips here and there, and all three are large, but normally sized for those with what is deemed strong magical power. Mine is the reason that Hybrids are feared and sentenced to death, while Kuro's is considered rare. Kuro's magic is at least fifty percent larger than the largest strong magical power I've seen, but resembles Kalan's, rough but round. He would be considered a genius in society, while I would be deemed a monster, but that's how life goes.