Chương 2: Kindle

As per usual, Orion woke before the sun was fully over the horizon. Waking later had not occurred to him in a very long time. His eyes opened to darkness, the low groan of timber, and Roy's steady breathing from the other side of the room. Wind pressed against the cottage walls in long, rising gusts. Something loose near the roof scraped once, paused, and scraped again. The storm had arrived early. He could tell that much from the sound that it wasn't the full blizzard.

There was no constant roar yet, only wind gathering strength and snow brushing against the shutters. They might have a few hours before the conditions became too dangerous for outdoor work. Orion pushed aside his blanket and sat upright. A few hours could make the difference. The bedroom he shared with Roy was the larger of the cottage's two sleeping rooms, though that did not make it spacious. Two narrow beds stood against opposite walls with an old chest between them.

Hooks held their coats, work shirts, and the few possessions that did not fit beneath the beds. Aurelia had the smaller room next door. When their parents died, the three of them had slept together wherever the cottage remained warmest. As they grew older, Orion and Roy had surrendered the second room to Aurelia. Privacy was more important than space, and neither brother had cared enough to debate which of them should sleep beside the drafty wall. Orion stopped as his bare feet touched the floor.

The boards were warm. He lowered one hand to the wood as though that might provide an explanation. Heat rested beneath his palm, gentle and steady. The western wall still leaked air. The storm had certainly not made that better. He looked toward the closed bedroom door. – Perhaps Roy woke during the night and fed the fire? Orion glanced across the room. Roy lay on his stomach with one leg hanging over the edge of the mattress and most of his blanket tangled beneath him.

His face had been pressed into the pillow at an angle that looked hostile to breathing. Orion crossed the room and pulled the blanket away, watching as Roy immediately curled around the missing warmth.

"Get up."

"No..."

"The storm started early."

"Tell it to go back to bed." Roy pulled the pillow over his head as if it would be an effective defense. Orion ripped that away too. Roy opened one eye.

"One day, I'm going to awaken a Seal that lets me kill people with my mind."

"Then you'll still have to get out of bed to see them." Roy rolled onto his back. His hair stood in several directions, and a faint crease crossed his cheek from the pillow.

"What time is it?"

"Morning."

"That is not the time."

"It's light enough to work." Roy turned toward the shuttered window. No light showed around its edges.

"You're a liar." Orion pulled on his trousers.

"The wind woke me."

"The wind wakes reasonable people so they can secure the shutters and return to sleep. It wakes you so you can invent three new chores." Roy pushed himself upright and rubbed both hands over his face. He looked ready to continue complaining upright, but he paused. He looked down at the floor, then toward the door.

"Why is it so warm?" Orion pulled a shirt over his head.

"I was wondering the same." Roy's expression then sharpened, turning toward Orion in accusation.

"You burned extra wood."

"No, I didn't."

"After an entire week of telling us how quickly we'll run out, you filled the hearth before bed."

"I added the usual amount." Roy stood and pressed one foot against the floorboards. He noticed their warmth immediately. Roy shook his head solemnly.

"Your intense pragmatism has failed you at last!"

"I told you, I didn't waste wood."

"You woke in the night, looked into the cold darkness, and decided comfort mattered more than calculations."

"You're being ridiculous again..."

"Aurelia must have done it."

"She wouldn't waste wood." Roy placed a hand over his heart.

"So she may feel comfort, but I may not?"

"You may feel comfort after you put on your boots." Roy opened his mouth to continue, but there was no time for anything to come out. Their bickering was cut off by Aurelia's scream. The sound tore through the wall between their rooms and ended every trace of sleep in Roy's face. Orion moved before he thought. The axe leaned beside his bed, where he kept it after splitting wood. He took it in both hands and crossed the room in three strides. Roy had no weapon, but resourcefulness was his greatest talent.

He tore the blanket from his bed, gripped two corners, and rolled the thick wool around his forearms. Orion looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"If it has eyes, I can cover them."

"With a blanket?"

"Do you have a second axe?" Roy knew the answer. If they had more than one axe, it would've been sold for other supplies. The brothers reached the bedroom door together. Orion pulled it open and stepped into the living area, axe raised. Roy stayed one pace behind him, blanket prepared like a poorly shaped net. Aurelia stood outside her own room in a long sleeping dress and wool slippers. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders. She was not looking toward the outer door, but directly into the main room itself.

"Behind me," Orion whispered as he approached. Aurelia did not move.

"Orion," she whispered. He followed her gaze. The creature beside the hearth stared back at him. It was low to the ground and compact, though large enough that Orion could not imagine how it had emerged from the egg without waking them. Four broad paws rested on the floorboards. A thick tail curled around its body, ending in a blunt point. Its scales were the same soot-black shade as Uncle's gift. Uneven ridges ran from the top of its rounded head down its spine.

They were not true horns, only small protrusions that marked it as something stranger than an oversized lizard. Along its back, faint orange light pulsed between its scales. The pattern resembled coals buried beneath a dying campfire. Each breath brightened the glow. Each exhale let it dim. The creature had gathered a collection around itself. Orion's leather work gloves rested beneath one forepaw. Aurelia's favorite wooden spoon lay across its tail.

A chipped blue cup had been dragged from a shelf, along with a ball of twine, three polished stones, and Roy's small brass compass. A carved wooden bird, another of Roy's useless acquisitions, had been placed directly in front of the creature as though it held special importance. The ornate chest stood open near the low table. The red cloth inside had been pushed aside, and the egg was nowhere to be found. Roy stepped beside Orion, his blanket remaining raised for combat.

"That," he said quietly, "is not decorative." The creature shifted its weight, causing Orion to instinctively tighten his grip around the axe. Its eyes were larger than he expected, dark around the edges with deep orange near the center. They moved from Orion's face to the axe and back again. It understood danger. Orion could see that much. But it did not growl or bare its teeth. Instead, it lowered its body over the collected objects and placed both forepaws more firmly across the gloves and spoon.

It wasn't responding with aggression, it simply acted to protect its collected hoard. Orion took one cautious step into the room. The creature's back brightened.

"Easy," Roy said.

"I am being easy."

"You have an axe."

"It doesn't know what an axe is." The creature looked directly at the blade. Roy immediately raised an eyebrow.

"It may have suspicions." Aurelia caught Orion's sleeve.

"You're not going to kill it, are you?" The question came softly, but Orion heard the pain beneath it. He looked at her expression. Aurelia had already moved beyond fear. She watched the creature the same way she watched injured birds near the field or stray animals lingering at the edge of the property, as though its arrival had made it their responsibility.

"It isn't attacking," Orion said.

"That wasn't my question."

"No one is doing anything yet." The creature remained crouched above its stolen possessions. Orion studied its legs, teeth, and the ember-light beneath its scales. It was young. That seemed clear from its rounded proportions and uncertain posture. But young did not mean harmless. They could not release an unknown creature into the storm. It might die within hours, assuming it did not return and tear through the shutters trying to find shelter.

They could not keep something dangerous inside a damaged cottage with limited food. If it could not survive outside and could not remain inside, there was one merciful solution. Orion took a breath. He knew how he would explain it. Quickly and cleanly, before Aurelia formed an attachment that made the decision worse. He lowered the axe slightly, preparing to speak. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Roy touched his shoulder.

"Wait."

"What?" Roy looked past him toward the hearth.

"Where is the fire?" Orion followed his gaze to the fireplace, which sat darkened and empty. No flames burned between the blackened stones. No embers glowed beneath the grate. A thin layer of gray ash rested where the final logs had burned away. Orion crossed the room while keeping the creature in view. He held one hand above the hearth. Not even the slightest trace of heat remained. He looked toward the stack of firewood beside it, and the logs were where they had left them.

"I didn't wake last night," Orion said, as if in realization.

"Yes," Roy replied.

"You mentioned that while denying your secret passion for comfort." Orion ignored him. During winter, cold woke him as reliably as sunlight. When the fire faded, the chill reached through the cottage walls and pulled him from sleep. He would add wood, check the doors, and return to bed before Roy or Aurelia noticed. Last night, he slept uninterrupted. The cottage was warmer now than it had been when the fire was lit. Roy pointed toward the creature.

"I think we found the fire." Aurelia looked between it and the empty hearth.

"Do you think this is Uncle's gift?"

"The chest was Uncle's gift," Orion said.

"Yes, the egg was inside it. But that doesn't prove he knew this would happen."

"You think Uncle accidentally gave us an egg with a creature inside?"

"He said it was decorative."

"He also said he traded for it from a traveler." Roy lowered the blanket from his arms.

"Uncle knows what everything is."

"He claims to know what everything is," Orion corrected. Aurelia looked toward the window. Wind pushed snow against the glass in soft bursts.

"Should we ask him."

"No. Bellhaven is a day away and the worst of the storm is still coming. It would make us slower once the road drifts over, and it would be a death sentence." Aurelia folded her arms.

"Then what do you suggest?" Orion looked at the creature, who had not moved from its little collection.

"We determine whether it is dangerous." Roy glanced at the axe.

"And then?"

"And then we decide what to do." Aurelia did not look satisfied, but she nodded. The three siblings gathered around the table, though none sat in their usual places. They chose the side farthest from the hearth and positioned themselves so they could watch the creature. Orion kept the axe against his chair. Roy still held the blanket. Aurelia had refused to return to her room until the matter was settled, though she had wrapped a shawl around herself.

Breakfast usually consisted of bread, fruit, and whatever remained from dinner. That morning, Aurelia cut several thin slices from the loaf and placed dried berries beside them. The creature watched every movement, its attention following Aurelia more than the others. Noting this, she broke off a small piece of bread.

"No," Orion said.

"I'm only seeing whether it's hungry."

"It could bite you."

"It could have bitten us already." Roy leaned one elbow against the table.

"She has a point."

"You're supposed to be helping."

"I am helping. I'm helping Aurelia."

"That is not what I meant!" Aurelia crouched several paces from the creature and placed the bread on the floor.

"Hello," she greeted warmly.

"My name is Aurelia." The creature lifted its head. Orion wanted to remind her that the creature did not understand. The creature's eyes remained fixed upon her face.

"That is Orion," she continued, indicating him.

"He looks angry, but that is normal."

"I do not."

"And that is Roy." Roy lifted one hand.

"I'm the pleasant one!" The creature followed Aurelia's movements. It understood the gestures, at the very least. Aurelia pushed the bread forward.

"This is food." The creature slowly and lazily stood. Orion's hand closed around the axe handle, but did not move. The creature stepped away from the collection in a slow, careful motion. Its claws made soft clicks against the floor. Up close, Orion could see darker lines around its muzzle and the faint orange glow moving through its scales like breath through a furnace. It reached the bread and lowered its head. It sniffed once, then it ignored the food.

Instead, it pressed the side of its face against Aurelia's arm. Aurelia froze, watching as the creature rubbed along her sleeve and made a sound somewhere between a rumble and a pleased sigh. Her expression softened immediately.

"Oh." Orion stood.

"Aurelia…"

"It's all right. He's warm."

"That does not make it safe." The creature leaned more firmly against her. Aurelia placed one cautious hand atop its head, and the ember-light along its spine brightened.

"It isn't burning me." Roy abandoned his blanket and approached.

"Does it feel like the egg?"

"Warmer." The creature pulled away from Aurelia and turned toward the firewood stack. It meandered over to the pile, then sat directly in front of the logs before looking back at the siblings. No one moved. It looked at the wood, then at Aurelia, then at the wood again. Roy tilted his head.

"It wants us to do something."

"It wants the fire lit," Orion speculated.

"With what fire?" Roy asked.

"It is the fire." Aurelia stood and approached the stack. The creature's tail tapped the floor once.

"You want this?" She touched one of the smaller logs. The creature immediately brightened.

"Careful," Orion said. Aurelia pulled the small log free, then held it out toward the creature. It gently took one end between its teeth. Its jaws were stronger than its youthful appearance suggested. The bark cracked immediately. It lowered the wood to the floor, pinned it beneath one paw, and began chewing. Roy stared.

"It eats firewood." Aurelia sat beside it.

"Apparently." The creature tore off a strip of bark and swallowed it. Orange light surged beneath its scales, and warmth rolled across the room. Orion felt it against his face first. It spread outward from the creature in a steady wave, reaching the table, the bedrooms, and the far corners of the cottage. The lingering frost near the western wall began to disappear. Roy removed his coat.

"It's getting hotter." The creature bit through another piece of wood, and the cottage warmed again. Aurelia laughed in disbelief. Orion crossed to the western wall and pressed his palm against it. Cold still seeped through the cracks, but it could no longer compete with the heat filling the room. Outside, snow rattled against the shutters. Inside, it felt like the first mild day of spring. Roy looked at the stack of wood, then at the creature, and then at Orion.

"This could work."

"What could work?" Roy gestured broadly.

"It eats wood. We need wood for heat. Except instead of burning a full log in the hearth and losing half the warmth through the chimney, we give it a small piece and it heats the whole house."

"We don't know how long the heat will last, and we don't know how much it needs."

"We can find out."

"What if the creature grows?." Roy looked toward the chest.

"It fit inside the egg last night. I doubt it will become enormous by supper."

"That is not what I meant."

"I know, but the immediate problem is the storm. The immediate solution is currently chewing on that log." The creature continued eating. Roy's expression became more animated with every bite.

"If it learns how much wood it is allowed, we could control the temperature without waking through the night. It would be like automating the hearth." Orion frowned.

"Automating?"

"Making it work without us."

"It is a living creature, not some strange invention."

"That does not mean it's inefficient." Aurelia scratched beneath the creature's chin. It leaned into her hand and grumbled pleasantly. Orion looked at Roy for support and found only fascination. Both of his younger siblings had decided already. They were simply kind enough to wait for him to stop resisting. Orion studied the empty hearth, the warm floor, and the snow gathering against the window. Their woodpile had been one of his greatest concerns going into winter.

If the creature truly produced this much heat from a small piece of wood, it could change everything. That did not make keeping it sensible, but it made refusing much more difficult.

"We test it," Orion finally sighed. Aurelia smiled.

"That is not permission to keep it forever." Roy crouched near the creature.

"How do we explain portions?"

"It seems to understand us," Aurelia said.

"We don't know that." The creature looked at Orion. Roy grinned.

"It knows when you're doubting it." Aurelia waited until the creature finished chewing. Then she placed one hand on the remaining firewood.

"You may eat from this stack. But only when we give you permission." The creature watched with an unreadable expression. Aurelia pointed at the wood, then shook her head.

"Not all of it. One piece at a time. Do you understand?" It looked toward the stack, then back at her. Aurelia lifted one finger.

"One." The creature lowered its hindquarters and sat. Roy whispered, "That looks like understanding." Orion refused to answer. Aurelia selected another small piece of wood and offered it. The creature took it gently, this time carrying the piece into the empty fireplace. It turned twice among the ashes, and settled inside. Roy stared at it.

"It claimed the hearth." The creature began to chew. Soot darkened its paws and belly, blending into its scales. It pushed several old chunks of charcoal toward the edge and scraped a shallow pocket for itself among the ash. Orion folded his arms.

"That is insane."

"That is ingenious," Roy said.

"The stone keeps the heat contained, and we already have a chimney if it produces smoke." The creature curled its tail around the wood. Only its bright eyes and glowing back remained clearly visible within the dark hearth. Aurelia knelt in front of it.

"You need a name."

"No," Orion said. She looked over her shoulder.

"It cannot live in our hearth without a name."

"It has lived in our hearth for less than a minute." She turned back toward the creature.

"Kindle." The creature's ridges brightened. Roy nodded.

"Kindle." Orion sighed.

"Naming it creates an attachment." Aurelia smiled without looking at him.

"I believe that happened when it rubbed against me."

"It also stole your spoon."

"It chose my spoon."

"It chose my gloves too."

"Then it has excellent taste!" The creature made a soft rumbling sound. Aurelia leaned closer.

"Do you like Kindle?" It lifted its head, and made another noise as if confirming its pleasure.

"Kindle," she repeated.

"That can be your name." The heartwarming moment then shifted as the air changed. Orion felt it before he saw anything. The warmth remained, but an unfamiliar pressure settled over the room. The sensation was not physical. It felt like standing beneath a vast structure and realizing, without seeing it, how much weight rested overhead. Aurelia went still. A line of pale text appeared in the air before her. The letters did not glow like fire or shine like reflected light.

They were simply present—sharp, ancient, and perfectly legible despite Orion having never seen their script before. All three siblings could see them. [Proposed Name: Kindle] [Confirm designation?] Aurelia stepped backward. Roy's mouth fell open. Orion forgot the axe beside the table. The stories. Travelers spoke of words appearing before the awakened. Instructions no one else had written. Declarations from a system older than any kingdom. Orion had always assumed the descriptions had grown in the telling.

He had never imagined the text would look so indifferent. It hovered before Aurelia as though it had been waiting for her entire life.

"What do I do?" she whispered. Roy stared at the message.

"Confirm it."

"How?"

"Trying saying it? Touching strange floating words seems worse." Orion found his voice.

"Aurelia, wait." Kindle looked between them as they contemplated the prompt. Aurelia's hands trembled, but she lifted her chin.

"Confirm." The text vanished. For half a breath, nothing happened. Then new words appeared in the center of the room. [Hearth Drake naming successful.] [Community created.] [Community Level: Cottage] Kindle stood and stepped out of the hearth. As if it could detect something happening that it did not fully comprehend [Hearth Drake "Kindle" accepted into Community.] Roy laughed once from disbelief. Aurelia covered her mouth, and Orion could only stare. The final shared message formed before them.

[First Community Quest completed.] The words faded, and the pressure in the room immediately deepened. Three separate panes of text appeared, one directly in front of each of their faces. Unlike the shared messages, each pane faced only the sibling to whom it belonged. Orion could still see the glow of the others from the corners of his vision, but the words before him demanded his full attention. [First Seal Unlocked. Class Assignment In Progress]