Fists Against Fate

Rokuro sat on an old supply crate at the edge of Rootward, back slouched against a wall of rough timber. The camp moved around him—shouts from the training grounds, the clang of steel—but it all blurred into background noise.

The gauntlet hung from his arm like stone. Heavy. Useless.

What good was it if it couldn’t even save one little girl?

His mind replayed the events of this morning, whether he wanted it to or not.

Sana on the cot, skin pale, breath shallow. Her grandmother at her side, wringing a cloth, speaking in a voice that was calm only because it had no strength left in it.

“The same as her parents,” she had said.

“They bore these marks too. The Corrosion took them before Sana was even old enough to remember their voices.”

Rokuro had clenched his fists then, staring at Sana’s face.

“Her parents…?”

“She’s lived with only me since then. The world is cruel, Lock. Cruel to steal so much from a child, and still not spare her from the same fate.”

Cruel. That word stuck.

For a moment all he could think about was Kana. The sister he had failed to save. Her and Sana were so much alike. He knew they weren’t the same person, that much was obvious. But the more time he spent with Sana, the longer that thought bloomed within him. If he could save Sana, then Kana too would…

But he was an idiot. A powerless idiot who projected his fears and insecurities on a young kid.

“…Damn it…” Rokuro muttered, dragging a hand down his face.

Why’d it have to be her? Why…

“You didn’t come to morning training.”

A voice snapped Rokuro from his trance. Rokuro’s eyes turned to the side to see the silhouette before him.

Lykos was standing a few paces away, arms crossed, watching him quietly. His tone wasn’t sharp, just steady as if testing the air.

“…Not really in the mood to swing a stick around,” Rokuro muttered, looking away again.

Lykos stepped closer, boots crunching against the dirt. “Training isn’t about mood. It’s about showing up even when you’ve got nothing left in you.”

“Tch…” Rokuro’s fists tightened on his knees.

Silence stretched. Then Lykos sat down beside him, his voice lower now.

“Or maybe it’s not training you’re skipping. Maybe you’re just running from something else.”

Rokuro didn’t answer. His jaw locked, and his chest rose and fell in slow, uneven breaths.

From the camp path, Kagi approached carrying a bundle of supplies. She slowed at the sight of the two of them and stopped just short of the clearing. She said nothing, lingering in the shade of the roots, listening.

“I have a sister…” Rokuro began, “Her name is Kana.”

“Kana…” Lykos repeated, beginning to see the connection.

“She died ‘cause I was useless. Powerless. And when I saw Sana… it felt like maybe I could make it right this time. Like maybe I could save her instead, and redeem myself…”

His throat tightened.

“But now she’s dying too… and I can’t do a damn thing about it.”

Rokuro clenched his fist.

“Even when I do everything correctly, I’m still the same powerless bastard who can only sit back and watch!”

Rokuro’s voice dropped lower, seething with anger. Anger at himself.

“How the hell do I beat a damn illness?!”

Lykos didn’t speak for a moment. Like he himself couldn’t find the right words.

“Sometimes being strong isn’t enough to save everyone.”

His mind flashed to Setala. The sick ward.

“But that doesn’t mean you get to give up.”

Rokuro heard the words. He knew them to be true. But… he couldn’t find the will to play along.

Of all the times Rokuro felt defeated in this new world, this one was the worst of all. Because this time, he couldn’t do anything to stop the inevitable.

It felt like no matter how many times he crawled back up, life was just waiting to slam him down harder.

And with this blow… it looked like he might be down for the count.

Lykos sensed his inner turmoil. He wasn’t a man of many words. But for some inexplicable reason, he had faith in Rokuro. So with that he took his leave.

Lykos passed by the spot Kagi was standing, their eyes locking. The man simply nodded at her in understanding and kept walking down the path.

Kagi had naturally overheard the whole conversation. Her fingers pressed against the crate she was holding in frustration.

Rokuro was always the one to get up. To keep fighting no matter what. But she had never heard him talk like that.

What if this time he couldn’t?

She couldn’t let that happen. She was his Key for a reason. It was her duty to help out anyway she could.

Yet even if it weren’t her obligation… she would still choose to do it regardless.

Kagi set the supplies down on the ground and made for Selka’s workshop.

There had to be something… something she could do!

╒ 🗝 ╛

The workshop was a mess of smoke, parchment, and clutter. Strange herbs hung from the rafters, glass jars littered the shelves, and in the middle of it all Selka hunched over her bench, hair wild, eyes sharp and tired.

A pale crystal shard was clamped in a rig, faint light twitching inside it like a heartbeat.

“Useless…” Selka muttered, jabbing her quill into a scrap of parchment. “Every test, every formula—nothing stops it. Just keeps spreading. Damn it—!”

The door creaked.

Kagi stepped in, quiet but purposeful. “Selka.”

Selka turned, eyes bloodshot.

“If you’re here to nag me about food or sleep—save it.”

Kagi stepped into the lamplight, arms folded. She hesitated for only a moment, before pushing her doubts back down.

“I’m here because Rokuro…” She gulped. “He’s falling apart. And I can’t pull him back alone.”

The words landed heavier than any blow. Selka turned away, biting her lip. “…Sana.”

Neither needed to say more.

Selka sighed, “I’ve tried everything. Extracts, purges, cleansing rites—it doesn’t matter. Corrosion just laughs. It’s like it wants to win.”

Kagi didn’t answer right away. Selka gritted her teeth.

“All my life I’ve been attuned to magic. Aether is like oxygen to me. And yet…” Selka sucked in a breath, “All I’ve ever done is present results. Run tests… just once… I’d like to beat that damned Corrosion and actually… save lives.”

“Selka…” Kagi didn’t know what to say.

“Is it too much to ask?” Selka smiled bitterly.

It wasn’t. Of course it wasn’t.

Kagi’s eyes swept the table, seeing something she didn’t expect.

“…You’ve been keeping crystals?”

Selka sighed and shifted her focus.

“From patrol scraps. Everyone else wanted to toss them, but I—” Selka hesitated, defensive, “I needed to know. Knowledge doesn’t care if it’s hated. We needed to know how it works to counter it.”

She grabbed a thin Aether rod and touched it to the shard. The crystal flared with cracks, a sick pulse rippling through its surface. Selka’s voice came fast now, urgent.

“See this? Every time I feed it Aether, it reacts—fractures outward. That exact same pattern is what I see on every Corrosion patient’s skin. The readings are the exact same!”

“It’s really the same?” Kagi arched a brow.

Selka nodded.

“They resonate identical. The Corrosion is Crystalor’s relic poisoning everything around it.”

“But… what happens to the crystals if the relic stops being corrupted?”

“Well I haven’t had the luxury to see it happen and test that theory but…” Selka tapped at her chin, “They would dissolve, I guess.”

Kagi felt a kindle of hope light within her.

“Then if the crystals and the corrosion are the same in different form…”

Selka slammed her hands against the table, rising to her feet, “It would disappear too!”

Suddenly a smile bloomed on her face.

“Kagi you’re right! It’s possible!”

For the first time in a while, the magical beacon of Emberhold smiled brighter than anyone had ever seen.

Kagi released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, relief flooding her.

“…So there is a way to save everyone from the Corrosion."

“I can’t cure them with my magic…” Selka nodded, light returning to her features, “But we now know what’s causing it and how to stop it!”

“And it’s enough.” Kagi nodded, a smile tugging at her lips.

“It’s more than enough! It’s the best breakthrough I’ve had in years…” Selka sighed, “Thank you, Kagi.”

“No need to thank me.” Kagi nodded, “You’re way more than just readings, Selka.”

Selka smiled back, tears threatening to spill at the edges of her eyes. She wiped them away, nodding.

“Now let’s get Rokuro back into the fight!”

“Yeah,” Kagi nodded. “Let’s.”

╒ 🗝 ╛

Rokuro was still sitting at the edge of Rootward where Lykos had left him, the night wind tugging at his jacket. He didn’t even hear the footsteps until Selka and Kagi stopped a few paces behind him.

“Rokuro,” Selka called softly.

He didn’t turn towards them.

Kagi folded her arms, standing tall behind him. Her voice was calm, but it carried. “We’re here because we found something.”

That finally made him look over his shoulder. His eyes were rimmed red, weary. “…What?”

Selka stepped forward.

“The Corrosion. It’s tied to Crystalor’s relic. Everything traces back to it. If the relic stops spewing this corruption, the crystals dissolve… and so does the Corrosion.”

“Dissolve?” Rokuro blinked, the words hitting him like they weren’t real. “…So… Sana—”

“She can be saved,” Selka said firmly, her usual cheeky spark replaced by certainty. “Not with medicine. Not with magic. But if we bring the relic down, if we stop Crystalor, then the Corrosion dies with it.”

The air went still. Rokuro’s hands trembled, not from fear this time, but from the weight of the thought. She can be saved…? Kana… Sana…

He lowered his head. “But… but I…”

That’s when Kagi stepped closer, her shadow falling across him.

“You said you’re the Lock, didn’t you?” Her voice was sharp, but steady. “Then act like it.”

Her words hit Rokuro like a train.

“Sana’s life isn’t gone yet. It’s in your hands. You’re the only one who can stop this before it’s too late.”

Her words cut through the fog. His pulse quickened.

Kagi didn’t stop. “If anyone can, it’s you. And I don’t say that lightly.”

A rare authentic smile shined on her features. She extended her hand to him.

Rokuro stared at her—violet eyes reflecting firelight, unflinching. He felt the burn in his chest twist, change. The helplessness that had crushed him only moments ago was still there, but it was drowned out by something else. Something hotter.

Just when he thought it was all over. Just when he had tasted the most bitter defeat yet… Hope found him once more.

This time he didn’t have to wait for any miracle. He was the one who had to make it happen. It was in his hands once more.

Sana’s fate. Kana’s fate. Emberhold’s fate.

“…Tch.” He clenched his fist, sparks rippling faintly from the gauntlet. “Guess I don’t have the luxury of moping then, huh?”

Selka gave a shaky laugh, relief bleeding into it. “About time you caught up.”

Rokuro took her hand and stood, rolling his shoulders, the fire back in his eyes. “Alright then. Crystalor, Draven, the whole damn lie—” he smirked, baring his teeth, “—I’ll smash it all to pieces!”

Kagi straightened, lips twitching like she was holding back the faintest smile. “…That’s more like it.”