Unreviewed Onyx Cord

[Casimir Thorne]

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Both pendants were carved from a single onyx crystal before being separated, making each piece physically and symbolically part of the same whole.
• When held during meditation, the crystal can briefly strengthen the resonance, often bringing memories associated with the other wearer to the forefront of the mind.
• The pendants grow warmer in the presence of the other half, with the sensation becoming more noticeable as the distance between the wearers decreases.

STRENGTHS

• The pendants create a faint empathic resonance between Casimir and Efret, allowing each to feel the other's presence, emotional steadiness, or distress across great distance.
• Because they are forged from the same onyx crystal and shaped through the Floralite tradition Varin taught Casimir, the bond is personal rather than technological and cannot be jammed, sliced, or disabled by conventional means.

WEAKNESSES

• The connection does not allow speech, images, location tracking, or clear thoughts, only emotional impressions that can be difficult to interpret.
• The resonance depends on the bond between the wearers, which means betrayal, emotional distance, or damage to either pendant can weaken or sever the connection.
• Force null fields and force null technology can interrupt the connection.

DESCRIPTION
Varin had explained the ritual months earlier.

The tradition itself centered upon a crystal flower. One person forged the seed while the other nurtured its growth, and only through the efforts of both could the final bloom emerge. The flower served as a symbol of a bond that endured separation, hardship, and the passage of time.

Casimir respected the tradition.

He also knew himself well enough to understand that he was unlikely to succeed at cultivating a crystal garden.

What remained with him was not the flower, but the lesson behind it.

The ritual demanded participation from both individuals. Neither person could complete it alone.

With that in mind, a single piece of onyx crystal was acquired and carefully divided into two halves. The separation was intentional. Neither fragment was meant to stand on its own. Each represented only part of a larger whole.

The shaping took time.

Every cut removed material that could never be restored. Every facet required patience. More than once the work was set aside before being resumed days later. During those long hours, thoughts frequently drifted toward the person who would eventually receive the second pendant. Memories of archaeological expeditions, shared discoveries, difficult conversations, and quieter moments all found their way into the work. The process became less about producing jewelry and more about creating something capable of carrying meaning.

By the time the carving was complete, the two crystals no longer resembled the rough stone from which they had originated.

Dark metal settings were forged to protect the crystal without concealing it. The designs mirrored one another closely enough to reveal a common origin while remaining distinct enough to belong to different individuals. When placed side by side, subtle details within the settings aligned into a single pattern. Separated, each remained incomplete.

That was intentional.

One pendant was given to Efret Farr .

The other remained with Casimir Thorne.

Unlike the Floralite Rose, no bloom would emerge from the arrangement. No petals would unfold and no crystal flower would grow. The pendants were instead an adaptation of the same principle. They served as a reminder that meaningful bonds were not created through proximity alone, but through continued investment, trust, and choice.

Whether worn across a city, a sector, or half the galaxy, each pendant remained part of the same stone.

For Casimir, that seemed an appropriate place to begin.