Kale cradled the Magnar egg against his chest, his usual smirk softened into something rare—something tender. The shell pulsed like a captured star between his hands, its light painting his face in silver and shadow.
He spoke quietly, as if sharing a secret with the dawn.
**"Love is the first thing they give you,"** he began, **"and the first thing they take away."**
Liora watched him, silent.
---
### **1. The Poisoned Gift**
Kale traced a glowing fracture on the egg's surface. **"Magnar don't just love, Liora. They *consume*."** His thumb lingered where the light throbbed brightest. **"A mother's kiss would unravel this child's bones. A father's laugh would wither the ground beneath its feet."**
He looked up, eyes dark with understanding. **"They don't leave because they want to. They leave because staying would be the cruelest thing of all."**
---
### **2. The Hollow Ones**
His voice dropped lower, weaving the tragedy like a lullaby. **"There were stories, once. Magnar who tried to stay. Who thought love could outrun nature."**
A pause. The egg trembled.
**"The children grew *hungry*,"** Kale murmured. **"Not for food. For *them*. And when there was nothing left to devour…"** His fingers curled gently around the shell. **"They ate themselves instead."** ---
### **3. The Orphan's Freedom**
Then, softer still: **"But you—"** He pressed his forehead to the egg. **"You'll wake in a world that doesn't fear you. You'll learn human words, human kindness. You'll *choose* what to hunger for."**
A beat. The palace held its breath.
**"That's the gift, little star. They made you an orphan so you could be *free*."**
---
For a long moment, silence. Then—
A single, resonant *crack*.
Not of hatching. Of *understanding*.
Kale exhaled, rough with something like awe. **"Yeah,"** he whispered. **"You get it."**
Liora reached out, her calloused fingers brushing his. Neither pulled away.
Above them, the constellations wept stardust.
---
Liora watched the Magnar egg pulse in its cradle of starlight, its shell shimmering with trapped galaxies. The air around it tasted metallic, like lightning about to strike.
**"Why?"** she asked suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence. **"Why do the Magnar hunger so much?"**
Kale, who had been idly tossing a dagger at the wall (only for the palace to spit it back each time), stilled. His usual smirk faded into something darker—something *knowing*.
**"Because power isn't free, Liora,"** he said, turning to face her fully. **"The stronger you are, the more you *need*."**
---
### **THE COSMIC CURSE**
Kale crouched beside the egg, his shadow stretching unnaturally long across the floor.
**"Think of it like this,"** he began, tapping the shell. **"A mouse? Eats crumbs. A wolf? Devours whole sheep. But a *star*?"** His fingers splayed. **"It burns through planets just to keep shining."**
The egg shuddered, as if agreeing.
**"Magnar aren't born in cradles,"** Kale continued. **"They're born in the *void*, where the only rule is *consume or fade*."** His voice dropped. **"And that hunger follows them. Grows with them."**
---
### **THE DESCENT INTO CORRUPTION**
Liora's grip tightened on her knife. **"Then why not just let them eat?"**
Kale laughed, sharp and humorless. **"Because hunger *changes* things."** He counted off on his fingers:
- **"Beasts** become *twisted*. Fangs grow too long, claws too sharp—until they're just *mouths* with legs."
- **"Humans**? They turn *demonic*. First their flesh rots, then their *souls* start digesting themselves."
- **"But a Magnar?"** His gaze locked onto the egg. **"They don't just *eat*, Liora. They *erase*."**
A memory flickered in his eyes—something old and terrible. **"I've seen what happens when one *doesn't* learn control. Whole realms… *unwritten*."**
---
Kale leaned back, his tone shifting into something almost *reverent*.
**"That's why they leave them here,"** he said, nodding to the egg. **"Planets are… *slow*. Steady. A baby Magnar can *learn* here, bite by bite, without swallowing the sky too soon."**
He smirked, but it was softer now. **"Think of it like teaching a wildfire to *chew* instead of burn."**
Liora stared at the egg. **"And if it fails?"**
Kale's smile vanished. **"Then the planet becomes its *last meal* before the corruption takes hold."**
A beat of silence.
The egg pulsed once—*hungry*.
---
Kale stood, stretching. **"It's not cruelty, Liora. It's law of nature.
He flicked the egg's shell, making it chime like a bell. **"The more you *are*, the more you must *eat*. And the only way to avoid becoming a monster…"**
His fingers brushed the starlight ring around the egg. **"Is to learn *when to stop*."**
Liora exhaled. **"So we're what? Its *table manners*?"**
Kale grinned. **"Nah. We're the *appetizers*."**
**KALE'S EXPLANATION (PRACTICAL VERSION)**
Kale poked the Magnar egg with a stick. The stick turned to gold, then crumbled to dust.
"Right. Lesson time," he said, wiping glittering residue on his pants. "This palace isn't a nursery—it's a **training ground for cosmic table manners**."
Liora crossed her arms. "Explain. Without metaphors."
*(A Step-by-Step Guide)*
1. **The Buffet System**
- The palace **automatically regenerates** everything the child consumes (walls regrow, statues reform)
- It provides **graduated challenges**:
- Week 1: Eating only **inert matter** (gold, marble)
- Week 2: **Simple lifeforms** (self-replenishing fruit trees, immortal rabbits)
- Week 3: **Abstract concepts** (memories, shadows, the color blue)
2. **The Taste Test**
Kale kicked a column that had just finished reassembling. "Everything here's **pre-spiced with morality**."
- Biting a living rabbit makes the palace **scream in pain** (teaching empathy)
- Eating memories shows the child **whose thoughts it stole** (teaching consequences)
3. **The Problem**
"But," Kale said, catching a falling chandelier before it could hit the egg, "**you can't learn restraint in a room that always refills your plate**."
---
### **WHY THEY NEED THE ORPHANAGE**
*(The Hard Truths)*
1. **Scarcity Teaches Control**
- In the human world:
- Food is **limited**
- Things **stay eaten**
- The child will feel **real hunger** for the first time
2. **Humanity is the Best Spice**
- Mortals are **too flavorful to waste**
- Their fleeting lives teach the value of **savoring** over **devouring**
3. **The Final Exam**
Kale tapped the egg. "Someday, you'll sit at a feast with **every star in the sky** on the table." His voice dropped. "The orphanage teaches you **when to push the plate away**."
---
### **THE UGLY PART**
Liora noticed Kale's hand trembling. "What aren't you saying?"
He exhaled. "The palace has **never produced a successful Magnar**. Every child either:
- **Starved itself** (too afraid to eat)
- Or **ate the training wheels** (palace and all)"
The egg trembled.
Kale smirked. "But you? You've got **two idiots** who'll shove you into the dirt until you learn balance."
---
Kale give her some flowers. It give a sweet smell. Liora don't throw it away for now. They have another problem.
Liora say, "How we go through the forest with a child. Forest is very dangerous. We don't know how far we need to go. "