• Thomas walked down the stairs to the main room of the ring shop. His eyes hung in sacks, and every step seemed labored. He was seriously deprived of sleep. Despite this, a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
    "What're ye grinnin' at, boy?" Ishmael asked. "Ye're an hour late!"
    The boy walked to the box of rings that had yet to be finished sorting. He reached inside and pulled out a single ring. He examined the circle of silver for a few seconds, and then set it casually on a shelf.
    "I know how they work," Thomas said as the grin expanded into a full-toothed smile.
    Ishmael crossed his arms and shot a suspicious look at his employee. He looked carefully at the ring Thomas had placed on the shelf. It sat perfectly in place.
    "I'm impressed," He declared. His accent was gone. An awkward silence filled the room and hung over the two like a weight. Neither knew what to say next. Ishmael decided to break the silence by tossing a chain of keys to Thomas.
    "You're going to take over this shop, then," he stated. The smile that was on Thomas's face turned to a frown of confusion.
    "I'm an old man now," Ishmael explained. "I've been here for over 40 years, and I can't keep this up anymore. At the end of this week, the store belongs to you, Thomas Black."
    The boy didn't know what to say.This old man was giving up his store to a boy he had met only a few days ago. But this wasn't all that had surprised Thomas.
    "I never told you my last name."
    "An old man like me always keeps up with everything, whether he's told it or not," Ishmael said with a chuckle. "Now, don't worry about the store, you'll do fine. I know it."
    The next few days were of a frantic sort. Thomas did his best to take responsibilities of running the store. However, he had great difficulty doing so with a constant stream of customers entering and exiting the store.
    "Why are there so many people here today!?"
    Someone was kind enough to explain to him that the Ringleader tournament, the biggest event in Raan, was coming up in a few days. Registration for the tournament would end with the week, and hopeful competitors were getting last-minute rings to use.
    Thomas became interested when the prizes were told to him. Money could have been his motive, or possibly the fame. No one would know, since he never spoke why he would compete. But he decided to register at his next opportunity.
    After a hectic day, Thomas counted his personal profit from work. He had plenty of money, because of his recent promotion.
    One ring is all I need, he thought. But which one?
    He searched the shelves. Spells seemed appropriate, but none of the rings felt right. He checked Spirits, but they wouldn't fit with him. Weapons was the way to go for him. He spotted the ring he placed on the shelf earlier.
    Perfect.
    The boy took his ring. It fit on his left middle finger smoothly. But there was a nagging feeling in his chest. The pedastal.
    The blank ring glowed with an eerie red-orange light. It almost appeared to be on fire again. Black resolved to move it.
    As soon as his hand made contact with the ring, heat spread up his arm and all throughout his body. The glow intesified. Flame burst forth from the golden band. Thomas kept pulling without result. The fire was licking at him. Trying to catch him, to burn him.
    An idea struck Thomas. He struck out with his free hand. The pedastal shattered, and freed the ring. The fire receded back into the ring. He held his prize up in triumph.
    Just like Alexander and the knot, He thought as he slid the ring onto his finger. The unsolvable puzzle has been solved.