Page 17

“Do any of you ever go into Onn Kkulma?”

Oshrun exhaled, reaching for another piece of the warm flatbread. “Onn Kkulma is very dangerous for us—the potential to be detected is high. Unfortunately, we have to enter, but only to work in a very specific context.”

“Work?”

“The Sy Dynasty has specialists called nnin-shǔnn who maintain and program their magical tools,” Oshrun explained, spooning more of the creamy porridge onto her plate. “What they don’t know is that all their nnin-shǔnn are Omegas.”

Naya nearly choked on her kkermo . “You work for the Sy Dynasty?” The words came out sharper than intended, but the morning conversations around them were growing louder, laughter and chatter creating a blanket of noise that seemed to swallow her outburst.

Oshrun’s expression remained calm, though her voice took on a harder edge. “That isn’t how we’d phrase it.”

“Then what would you call it?” Naya set down her cup, keeping her voice low. “You’re still helping them maintain the very tools they used to control people. The same magic that—” She caught herself before mentioning the Omega suffering, but the implication was clear between them.

“The same magic that keeps the region stable,” Oshrun finished quietly, breaking off another piece of bread.

“Magic that prevents the kind of chaos that once destroyed entire cities.” She leaned closer.

“You think we should let magic run wild? Let untrained hands attempt to harness forces they don’t understand? ”

Naya shifted on her cushion, grateful that the surrounding conversations masked their exchange. “I think maybe this land would be better without magical tools at all. Let people live naturally, without the risk of another catastrophe.”

Oshrun’s smile was thin, almost pitying.

“You speak as someone who has never lived through true instability, princess. Never watched people starve because crops failed, never seen them die from injuries that magic could heal, never witnessed the desperation that drives rulers to grasp for any advantage they can find. And what about the nnin-eellithi ? The tools protect the ssukkǔrian people. We’d have to go back to being nomads if we didn’t have magical tools. ”

She reached for one of the small leather-skinned fruits, peeling it with practiced movements.

“We live across several deserts, not lush green paradises like you. Without magical infrastructure, this region would collapse within a few years. Eventually, someone would try to recreate what was lost. Someone with less skill, less understanding than those who came before.”

Naya opened her mouth to argue, but Oshrun continued, her voice barely above a whisper.

“When that happens—and it will happen—the results will be even more catastrophic than what the original Sy Dynasty caused. At least now, we control how magic is used. We determine its limits, its applications, its safety measures.”

The logic was sound, but something in Naya rebelled against it. “So, you’ve made yourselves indispensable to maintain control.”

“We’ve made ourselves the only ones capable of preventing another magical apocalypse, without anyone knowing,” Oshrun corrected, taking a bite of the sweet-tart fruit.

To anyone watching, they might have been discussing the morning’s pleasant weather.

“The Sy Dynasty may rule the people, but we rule the magic that keeps them alive.”

A chill ran down Naya’s spine at the implications. “Which means you could cut them off from it entirely if you chose.”

Oshrun’s smile was sharp as the crystal staff she carried.

“If we choose, yes. Every magical tool in the region would cease to function within moments. The protective barriers around cities would fail. The healing stones in their healing centers would go dark. The cultivation magic that makes water clean and produce grow in the desert would fade.”

The casual way she spoke of such devastating power made Naya’s stomach clench. A small clay pot of honey-sweetened preserve was passed to her, but her appetite had diminished as the weight of this revelation settled over her.

After a moment, another question surfaced, one that had been building in the back of her mind. “Do you care how they use the magic you maintain?” she asked. “The Sy Dynasty, I mean. Do you monitor their activities, ensure they’re not causing harm?”

Oshrun paused, her spoon halfway to her mouth as she ladled more porridge. A tightening around her eyes that suggested Naya had touched on something uncomfortable.

“We don’t interfere with how he governs,” Oshrun said after a moment. “We keep the tools working safely—that’s where our responsibility ends.”

“Even if that means other Omegas get hurt?”

The question lingered, delicate and deadly. Oshrun set down her spoon, her eyes narrowing. “Explain.”

“Akoro used magical tools to kidnap me from my land. Portals, restraints—magical tools that you maintain. If you’re truly looking out for Omega welfare, shouldn’t you have known? Shouldn’t you have intervened?”

A flush crept up Oshrun’s neck, barely visible against her darker skin but unmistakable. She reached for her cup of kkermo slowly, steam rising between them in the warming morning air.

“We watch for the big things,” Oshrun said finally. “Magical disasters, dangerous experiments—anything that could tear the region apart again.”

“But not the kidnapping of a single Omega.”

“No.” The admission came out clipped, reluctant. “What individuals do with the tools... we don’t track that closely.”

Naya took a sip of her own kkermo , using the moment to study her.

The warm spices coated her tongue, but the comfort of the morning meal felt hollow now.

“So you really don’t know how your magic is being used day to day.

You just keep it running and hope the king you claim hurts Omegas won’t abuse it. ”

Oshrun’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Do you know how many magical devices exist in this region? Every healing stone, every portal, every tool that keeps crops growing in the desert? We can’t watch them all, and we shouldn’t have to be anyone’s moral compass.”

“But you have the power to be.” Naya kept her tone light as she spread preserve on a piece of flatbread. “You could establish boundaries, conditions for your continued cooperation. You could refuse to maintain tools used for certain purposes.”

“And reveal our existence to every person who uses those tools? Expose ourselves to retaliation or worse?” Oshrun shook her head slightly, her braids clicking. “Our safety depends on remaining hidden, princess. The moment we start dictating terms, we become a target.”

The argument made sense, but Naya could see the discomfort in Oshrun’s posture, the way her fingers drummed silently against the table. This conversation was challenging assumptions the Ilǐa community had lived by for generations.

“So you protect only yourselves, never mind who else might get hurt?”

“We have suffered enough.” Oshrun’s voice grew harsh enough that several women at their table glanced their way, and the chatter around them quieted for a few long moments.

“As a dynamic, we’ve literally been decimated and shunned.

Don’t we deserve to preserve what we have here without taking on responsibility for the entire region? ”

Naya focused on her food as the attention lingered, a surge of guilt creeping up her chest. Oshrun was right—it would be different if the region accepted them, but they didn’t. As the conversation around them gradually picked up again, Oshrun’s voice softened.

“You make fair points,” Oshrun admitted grudgingly, her voice barely audible above the ambient noise.

“Maybe we should have been more aware of activities involving the magical tools. It wouldn’t have been impossible to implement something to monitor that.

” She shot Naya a look. “But you must understand, all the Omegas in the region are here in Ilǐa now. We didn’t expect to meet or find another Omega, and if we did, we expected them to come through the gateway. ”

Naya nodded, her emotions tugging in various directions. The golden preserve that had looked so appetizing earlier now seemed too sweet, cloying on her tongue.

She set down her cup, the weight of Oshrun’s admission settling between them. For all their hidden power and careful planning, the Ilǐa Omegas had built a system that protected themselves while leaving others vulnerable to the very dangers they’d once faced.