matter?"
"It's a stone..." Crash answered brusquely. She turned to look at him. He pinned her with his stare, his eyes like gleaming daggers. "A stone that eats magic. It protects whoever wears it, a talisman of sorts. It was the undoing of the races, the only reason why humans won the War. While they were wearing these stones, humans became immune to magic and its effects...just like you've demonstrated tonight. The rest is history."
"Why haven't I heard about this before?" she asked.
"Ignorance?" Dorian offered.
She shot him a glare. The Wolfy glared right back. Sora could understand why he was being so defensive, why he greeted her necklace with so much hostility. If his words were true, then it was a devious weapon indeed. But she had never even heard of a Cat's Eye! It wasn't her fault that the humans had killed off the other races.
Then Sora's eyes widened. Had she just saved their lives? That's what I did, right? Wasn't it?
"Well, if this necklace is so important to you, just take it," she said, and went to remove the gemstone from her neck.
"No!" Dorian exclaimed, and lurched towards her, holding out his hands. "Stop! Put it back!"
She paused in alarm, the necklace halfway over her head. "Why?" She blinked in surprise.
"J-just do as I say," Dorian said, the hostility vanished. "Please."
She dropped the necklace back in place on her neck, then waited for an explanation. The Wolfy let out a very long sigh, then looked to Crash, obviously asking for help. But the assassin moved away and inspected the charred body of the fox, turning it over with his sword.
"You can't take off the necklace," Dorian murmured. "It will kill you."
Sora's mouth dropped open. "W-what!?"
They stared at each other, another awkward pause. Dorian licked his lips slowly, glancing up to his left, as though searching for the words.
Sora tried again. "I thought you said that the necklace will protect me from magic? What do you mean, it will also kill me?" She now had a full-blown headache.
When Dorian finally spoke, it was a little less confidently. "The Cat's Eye is more of a curse than a blessing," he said haltingly. "It...it's a parasite, a semi-living thing that feeds on magic. It uses the bearer, you see? As much as it protects you, it also uses you. It creates a psychic bond, and if you lose contact with the stone, then the bond is broken."
Sora nodded to show that she was following. The scene replayed over and over in her head, the monster in the darkness, the sound of sleighbells, her forced act of heroism. After Crash's firm shove, she had lost control of her own body, hadn't she? Yes, she remembered that. Something else had taken control, moving her feet, her limbs. But what? The necklace? How is that possible?
"What do you mean by that? I still don't understand," Sora repeated, waiting for Dorian to continue.
"The bond grows with time," Dorian explained. "Eventually, the bearer and the necklace become like one mind, inseparable. And, if the necklace is removed, the bond is broken. The bearer falls into a coma and dies."
Sora opened her mouth, then shut it. Her thoughts raced, whirling like a weathervane, round and round and round. She still hadn't let go of the necklace. It burned in her hand, buzzing with energy, hotter than ever before. And she had a strange feeling of fullness, as though she had just eaten bread after a month of nothing but carrots.
"This is why the Cat's Eyes are so rare these days," Crash spoke unexpectedly, breaking the hollow silence. She started, surprised by his voice. "Most were destroyed after the War, too dangerous to be kept as mere trinkets. A single touch can create a bond...and destroy a mind."
Sora's finger rubbed the surface of the small stone. It had the texture of smooth skin, as though she truly wore an eyeball on her neck. She frowned and started to unclasp the necklace, but Dorian's hand stopped her.
"Weren't you listening?" he snapped. "You can't take it off. Not now."
"Why?
"It's a stone..." Crash answered brusquely. She turned to look at him. He pinned her with his stare, his eyes like gleaming daggers. "A stone that eats magic. It protects whoever wears it, a talisman of sorts. It was the undoing of the races, the only reason why humans won the War. While they were wearing these stones, humans became immune to magic and its effects...just like you've demonstrated tonight. The rest is history."
"Why haven't I heard about this before?" she asked.
"Ignorance?" Dorian offered.
She shot him a glare. The Wolfy glared right back. Sora could understand why he was being so defensive, why he greeted her necklace with so much hostility. If his words were true, then it was a devious weapon indeed. But she had never even heard of a Cat's Eye! It wasn't her fault that the humans had killed off the other races.
Then Sora's eyes widened. Had she just saved their lives? That's what I did, right? Wasn't it?
"Well, if this necklace is so important to you, just take it," she said, and went to remove the gemstone from her neck.
"No!" Dorian exclaimed, and lurched towards her, holding out his hands. "Stop! Put it back!"
She paused in alarm, the necklace halfway over her head. "Why?" She blinked in surprise.
"J-just do as I say," Dorian said, the hostility vanished. "Please."
She dropped the necklace back in place on her neck, then waited for an explanation. The Wolfy let out a very long sigh, then looked to Crash, obviously asking for help. But the assassin moved away and inspected the charred body of the fox, turning it over with his sword.
"You can't take off the necklace," Dorian murmured. "It will kill you."
Sora's mouth dropped open. "W-what!?"
They stared at each other, another awkward pause. Dorian licked his lips slowly, glancing up to his left, as though searching for the words.
Sora tried again. "I thought you said that the necklace will protect me from magic? What do you mean, it will also kill me?" She now had a full-blown headache.
When Dorian finally spoke, it was a little less confidently. "The Cat's Eye is more of a curse than a blessing," he said haltingly. "It...it's a parasite, a semi-living thing that feeds on magic. It uses the bearer, you see? As much as it protects you, it also uses you. It creates a psychic bond, and if you lose contact with the stone, then the bond is broken."
Sora nodded to show that she was following. The scene replayed over and over in her head, the monster in the darkness, the sound of sleighbells, her forced act of heroism. After Crash's firm shove, she had lost control of her own body, hadn't she? Yes, she remembered that. Something else had taken control, moving her feet, her limbs. But what? The necklace? How is that possible?
"What do you mean by that? I still don't understand," Sora repeated, waiting for Dorian to continue.
"The bond grows with time," Dorian explained. "Eventually, the bearer and the necklace become like one mind, inseparable. And, if the necklace is removed, the bond is broken. The bearer falls into a coma and dies."
Sora opened her mouth, then shut it. Her thoughts raced, whirling like a weathervane, round and round and round. She still hadn't let go of the necklace. It burned in her hand, buzzing with energy, hotter than ever before. And she had a strange feeling of fullness, as though she had just eaten bread after a month of nothing but carrots.
"This is why the Cat's Eyes are so rare these days," Crash spoke unexpectedly, breaking the hollow silence. She started, surprised by his voice. "Most were destroyed after the War, too dangerous to be kept as mere trinkets. A single touch can create a bond...and destroy a mind."
Sora's finger rubbed the surface of the small stone. It had the texture of smooth skin, as though she truly wore an eyeball on her neck. She frowned and started to unclasp the necklace, but Dorian's hand stopped her.
"Weren't you listening?" he snapped. "You can't take it off. Not now."
"Why?
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