Calamity Ascendant - Return of the Black Queen [Berseria/Zestiria] [Complete]

[Naron]

A weird mood took hold of Edna over the days since that important conversation with Symonne. A week prior, she never imagined how everything would turn out; she figured she had a romantic rival, that there might be competition or some kind of agreement. Now however, she found she liked Symonne's company. While the other girl was a lot more direct and lewd than her, she took obvious care not to cross the line; whenever Edna became uncomfortable, Symonne backed off and ceased to push. She was considerate in her own way and fun to chat with. Going by how often Symonne smiled, Edna figured the feeling was mutual. She did not even mind being touched by the water seraph, much like she did not mind Laphi doing so.

They spent a lot of time together and with Laphicet, getting used to each other. Edna enjoyed that time a great deal, having begun to see similarities between Symonne and Laphi; both treated her kindly in their own way, gave her space whenever she wanted it, but both also refused to let her push them away. It may be a bit short to say for certain, but she felt comfortable around Symonne and so decided she was ready.

Now, the two of them stood in front of Laphicet's workshop. Their mutual crush had toiled away in there for hours, leaving them to talk things over on their own. Symonne squeezed her hand and the two exchanged determined nods; Edna could not help but smile the tiniest bit, finding it returned moments later. They both hoped they would be accepted, yet even if Laphi rejected them, there would still be someone there; it was soothing in a way, though her chest still clenched at the thought of rejection.

Then Edna wondered what happened if he ended up liking just Symonne; she would be left alone in that case. Dread crawled into the pit of her stomach for a moment, but Symonne bumped her hip almost immediately. "Hey, relax," she soothed softly. "You stared down worse things than this."

"I can usually beat those worse things up," she quipped back to settle her nerves, drawing a giggle from Symonne.

"Yeah, I doubt Laphi is into that." The other girl got swatted on the shoulder in response, but her words helped a bit.

They squeezed each other's hands once more and opened the door, only to be bathed in golden light; Symonne flinched, her breathing growing laboured as she closed her eyes. To Edna, the light just felt warm, almost kind even. She stood in place and let Symonne squeeze her hand until she was ready. Laphi did not notice them anyway, his focus solely on a complicated pattern he weaved; strings of coloured light went into the arte from all of his fingers. Having a moment to watch, Edna did not understand what kind of arte he worked on; she recognised the swirling edges of an embedded arte, but not its purpose. All she could tell was that it would be put into an object. Outside of Laphi and his work, there was little in this room; several shelves and workbenches, various items from boxes to blades, and an entire stack of parchments, some of which held carefully sketched arte formulas.

As Symonne's breathing relaxed, Edna took the first step inside and led her along. The light faded seconds later, just as she closed the door; Laphi still missed their presence, muttering under his breath and grabbing for a sheet of parchment. The girls exchanged glances, Symonne still a little out of it; Edna decided it was up to her and spoke up the easiest way she could: "What are you working on?"

He paused at hearing her voice, a stick of charcoal right above the parchment. The moment he turned his head, his expression brightened in a way that made her heart race. "Oh, hello! I'm working on-" Laphi stopped himself there and glanced down, then back up at them. "I'm not sure I can say," he finished sheepishly.

This obviously drew Symonne's curiousity; she forgot her nerves, strolling forward with a grin. "Oh, keeping secrets from us?" Edna followed, unwilling to let go of the other girl's hand; Laphi shrugged with a glance at the diagram he worked on. Edna studied it and recognised at least some parts, integration and fusion, but failed to understand how they matched with Malevolence, light, and a dozen interwoven segments she could not parse. Symonne whistled. "Whew, what kind of arte is that complicated? I can see fusion and... is that harmony over there?"

Edna blinked as this new information formed an understanding with her own observations: "This is a formula for armatisation."

"Of course," Symonne agreed after a short pause. "So you're optimising it?"

Laphi just smiled and covered his mouth in mirthful refusal to explain; Edna rolled her eyes, a fond "Nerd" her only response. She could not help but adore his antics; Symonne giggled and Laphi laughed as well.

After that however, he changed the subject: "So, did you need something?" Reminding them of the situation, he obviously noticed how both girls stiffened a little; they exchanged nervous looks and Symonne took the lead, but managed little more than to stutter and go nowhere. She completely forgot her own confidence, began to blush, and earned a flash of pity from Edna when she finally trailed off. Psyching herself up and actually doing it were different things after all.

Sighing, the earth seraph squeezed Symonne hand a little stronger, signalling her to stop. Then she let go and took over, her gut twisting in knots that went ignored: "Symonne and I were talking. You... no." She stopped herself there, unwilling to explain everything step by step. She took a deep breath, one hand over her heart. "We both like you a lot, and we both want to be with you." Just those words turned her face into a furnace, but they were out; Laphi could do little more than blink when she already clarified, just to be sure: "We don't want you to pick one of us, that's what we talked about. If it's okay with you, we want to make this a proper relationship with all three of us."

Symonne nodded dumbly, still at a loss for words; Laphi was, too. His mouth opened and closed as he stared at them, clearly confused. Both girls waited with bated breath, his thoughts hidden from them by that wide-eyed look.

After a moment, Laphi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "O-Okay. Give me a moment." It was a plea they granted without even an acknowledgement, watching him swipe all the diagrams off his table; a telekinesis-arte caught them in mid-air anyway while he sat down with clasped hands. Laphi fidgeted, then began to blush as well, matching both girls. The tense silence held for an uncomfortably long time, broken only when he threw them a cautious glance. "Just to make sure, this is not a prank, right?"

Just the suspicion she would do that hurt a little, but Edna shook her head dutifully. Symonne barked out a laugh instead, finally getting herself together. "It's not," she agreed, "but looking at it this way, yeah, that might have been something I'd thought of pranking you with a few months ago. We're serious about this. And an answer would be nice before one of us snaps from nerves." Edna elbowed her to be silent, but received no response. Symonne was tense like a bowstring, she noticed.

Laphi averted his gaze, frowning. Edna already feared the worst when his shoulders slumped, but he alleviated that a moment later: "Is, I... can I, um, have some time to think about that? My head is a mess right now."

"It's fine," she agreed immediately and despite Symonne's -accurate- previous assessment. "We needed a while to get ourselves sorted out. Take your time." She did not like having to wait, but she would bear with it.

"Thank you." There was audible relief in his voice; Laphi removed the active arte-formula and made to leave, but paused as he passed them. His gaze was earnest, somehow holding certainty despite how uncertain he was. "I know I should answer this quickly, but I want to give the answer you deserve. Both of you."

"And... which one is that?"

She almost elbowed Symonne again for putting him on the spot, but Laphi did not seem perturbed. He shrugged. "The one that is true. If I say yes now but my heart isn't in it, that hurts you just as much as if I said no but later realise I do want to. I need to think." His piece said, he shuffled out of the room; Edna only realised how befuddled he was when she realised they were left in there. Neither did he shoo them out, nor did he lock up behind himself.

Symonne let out a shaky breath and tried for a winning smile. "Well," she noted faintly, "no immediate rejection! Want to snoop through his work while we wait?" The suggestion earned her a flick to the forehead, followed by an unimpressed Edna pulling her out of the room to halfhearted and playful protests.

Meanwhile, Laphicet's head spun. The moment he rounded the corner, he began to dash away; his heart beat heavily, all his thoughts went in circles. Meticulous measurements for his newest project were discarded and forgotten as this new situation had been revealed to him. He pondered from time to time, especially after that encounter with Symonne on Hexen Isle, but the issue was mostly left to collect dust in the back of his mind. Now it had come for him when he least expected it.

He needed Velvet. Which meant that he ran into the kitchen and dragged her out, ignoring all protests; she soon let him pull her away, shouting for someone else to take over her spot. Laphicet kept quiet about the situation until they were in their shared room, though she was laughing by the end of his hurried explanation.

"Aww, my little Laphi is growing up!" The half-condescending hug was swatted away and his glare likewise ignored. Velvet chuckled some more, then plopped down onto her bed. She patted the spot next to her. "I can't tell you what to do, you know?"

"I know," he admitted while settling down by her side. "But I don't know what to do right now. How can I tell if I like them back? And both of them, at that; do you think that could even work?" He was fretting and doubtful, and Velvet was a rock he could cling to like he did so long ago; the next embrace was not refused, him nestling into her side shily.

"It's hard to say," Velvet began carefully, resting her chin on top of his head. Her presence was comforting and eased his nerves. "But with the way I've seen you interact with them, I think you do like them at least enough to try. They're both precious to you, aren't they?" His mumbled agreement received a soft huff and a squeeze. "Then give your nerves a little bit of time to settle and think, if you feel you need to. Just don't let them wait too long. You think too much from time to time, Laphi.

"Come to think of it," she continued after a comfortable moment, "I've seen those two together a lot. They probably talked this over if they came to you together, so I'd say to trust them a little. I don't know if this kind of thing can work, but I don't see why it shouldn't, either. But really, it will be some work, too. Nothing worth having is free, after all."

He mumbled assent, but could not help himself then; he just had to needle his sister a little: "Like with you and that mystery boyfriend of yours?" Unfortunately, Velvet kept her mouth tightly shut, if curled into a knowing smile. He had yet to find out just who she was meeting, or when, or how. Then again, he did not really try, either; not to mention Laphicet had other priorities right now. "But thank you. I'll think about it."

"Anytime."

. .
. .​

Symonne and Edna were tense. Oh, they tried to calm down in the living room, but both of them failed miserably. Even when she took the earth seraph's hand and stroked it soothingly, that did not settle her nerves for long. Neither did it help Symonne herself. She was quite happy when Margaret and Alisha wandered in, having returned from their trip to Pendrago. Greetings were exchanged and, going by her more steadfast behaviour, Alisha was doing better; she had her own minor breakdown after hearing of Lailah's end. Margaret took it better, much like Symonne, but they had not known Lailah well to begin with.

Alisha studied the two seraph girls curiously, then leaned forward to nudge Symonne. "So, what have you two been doing? You are not eloping on us, are you Symonne?" The tease came unexpected and made the nervous girl stammer, blushing furiously. Margaret laughed at her openly and even Alisha allowed herself a chuckle, which only added to the embarassment.

Then however, she cast a glance to Edna, who shrugged. They remained tense, but they might as well pass the time. Firming herself up, Symonne threw a smirk back at the therion and held up their intertwined hands. "We are," she confirmed to befuddled stares. "In two hours we will leave to get married in the grandest cathedral you have ever seen!"

"Wow, congratulations!" Margaret beamed, obviously delighted. "Do you think I can be your bridesmaid? Do seraphim have bridesmaids?" Alisha congratulated them moments later and Symonne averted her gaze, the original plan having backfired horribly. It took the human a few moments, but the smile faded when she noticed their hands remaining as they were; clasped together, holding onto the other. Her brows rose almost imperceptibly as she studied them. "You're actually together?" Shrugs were given, at which point Alisha began to frown.

"Is this, well, normal among seraphim?" the former princess inquired, her expression carefully pleasant in a way that made it clear she was suppressing something less kind. For a moment Symonne grew defensive, squeezing Edna's hand. This earned her a glance from her girlfriend-to-be, but no reprimand. Both of them could only shrug, though.

"It's common among humans," Symonne informed her companion tersely; it actually hurt a little that a friend would doubt her own interests in a partner like that. Alisha's saving grace was that she obviously tried to keep it down, regardless of her current frown.

"How would two women even... well, you know?" The question stood in the room rather uncomfortably as Symonne slowly let go of Edna. Raising her hands, she stared Alisha straight in the eyes, then spread index and middle fingers in clear V-shapes, only to demonstratively slide both into each other. Alisha flushed first, then Margaret, then Edna.

"Understood." The therion dragged her feet, embarassment soon fading in favour of curiousity. "Actually, if you don't mind me asking, do seraphim, er, procreate like humans do? It just occurred to me there ought to be more of you if you do not die of old age."

"We're born out of the earthpulses," Edna supplied at once, probably to prevent Symonne from doing something else to embarass everyone. "We form there from pure mana."

"So no pregnancies for us," Symonne added cheekily, well aware of the elbow jabbed into her side but ignoring it. "We don't really need sex either, it's more of a commodity like food." And just to rub it in, she leaned forward with a mischievous grin, stage-whispering at the other women: "One big advantage all lady seraphim have, hehe: no hymen."

"Wait... shit, I have one of those too!" All eyes went to Margaret after her outburst, the girl averting her gaze sheepishly while Symonne broke into laughter and leaned against Edna for support; it was hilarious in a way, the rebirth of Artorius being worried about her first time hurting.

Ignoring the laughing seraph, Alisha kindly squeezed the younger girl's shoulder, trying to soothe her. "Do not worry about it too much. I heard several accounts over the years, for some it hurts, for some it does not. Women like us who are used to battle would likely be unfazed by it either way, and I heard that as much physical activity as ours can potentially even break a hymen on its own." Symonne only laughed harder, though Margaret nodded along.

"Ah, a bunch of gorgeous ladies laughing together is either a pleasing or a terrifying sight."

And just like this, the mood changed entirely; a pleasantly dark, male voice rolled into the room. All attention went to the doorway, where a man stood. Broad-shouldered and tall, his chest bare; they all met Zaveid before, of course. Alisha visibly appreciated his abs just like the last time they met, the man himself swaggering toward them; Margaret straightened and met him with a friendly smile. "I didn't know you're back already?"

"Eh, I didn't actually leave yet," he told them with a shrug. "Velvet called in a favour to find shepsy some pals. I'll be off soon with Rose and Dezel, we'll catch up to Sorey sooner or later." There was a palpable sense of surprise among them, as he made his opinion on the current shepherd rather clear before.

"What did she bribe you with?" Edna finally broke the baffled silence with. "No, what can she bribe you with?"

"Maybe with her body?" Symonne suggested, only for Edna to stare at her like she grew a second head. She had a point, though; as if Zaveid of all people would ever score.

The man himself just huffed. "Nah, no such thing. Damn good motivation though, that bod of hers." Margaret and Alisha both wilted away from him at that point, which he ignored in favour of waving at Edna. "Anyway, looking forward to work with you." Zaveid then proceeded to pat her head in the most condescending manner imaginable and swaggered out of the room with a wave. Left behind were a confused therion and a resigned earth seraph.

"He's hot, we have to give him that."

Edna rolled her eyes at Symonne for the comment. "But nothing else, and even that is questionable."

Alisha remained silent, likely also having picked up on the fact he might act like this on purpose. Symonne could not say why she thought so, but the suspicion was there.

Margaret sighed, muttering softly. "I admire his confidence." Edna and Symonne both offered a quick "That's fair", then glanced each other and broke into smiles.

Not much later, Laphicet poked his head into the room and eyed them owlishly. "So that is what he meant with 'chicks'," the seraph boy noted, much to their immediate exasperation. Alisha, being a princess, needed an explanation before she understood. At which point she simply disregarded the matter entirely and focussed on Laphi, asking if he needed anything. Unfortunately, his eyes darted over the other two seraphim in the room and quickly went elsewhere; Laphi shook his head. "Well, I was going out and got curious what Zaveid meant. Don't let me stop you from having fun." He then disengaged and vanished, prompting a sigh from Symonne.

"There goes hoping he's done thinking already."

"He's never done thinking," Edna retorted with a grin.

"True."

Both girls sighed together, which prompted Margaret to ask what was going on; the reaction she and Alisha had to learning they both wanted Laphi was decidedly more amusing, especially when the former princess revealed herself far more accepting of that idea than just the two girls. Royals were weird, though at least all the conversation made for a good distraction.

. .
. .​

​

Far above the clouds, Laphicet floated in deep contemplation. He retreated to where few could follow after talking to his sister, still uncertain what to make of the situation he found himself in.

Edna and Symonne were doubtlessly precious to him; denying that was impossible. Yet he still failed to figure out if the feelings bubbling in his chest were actual attraction or something else; regardless of the former being a near certainty by this point, he worried about the latter case. He also worried about making such a relationship work if he did want it; more people would clearly make it more difficult.

As his thoughts wandered however, they were inevitably drawn back to that night on Hexen Isle. He kissed Symonne before. She said back then that it did not have to mean romance; perhaps she was lying to appease her own doubts at the time. Perhaps she really thought so and changed her mind later. In the end, it did not matter to the fact Laphicet had enjoyed the experience and would gladly repeat it; perhaps that was the crux of his contemplations. He could hardly imagine kissing anyone else, except maybe Edna.

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Laphicet willed himself to descend; his body lowered into the roiling clouds, which got him damp and charged with lightning as a rainstorm was apparently pelting Lastonbell beneath. He shrugged it off and hurried downward, quickly homing in on the Crowe's Nest; through the rooftop entrance, it was just a few stairways to reach the living space he last saw Edna and Symonne, the girls currently busy playing cards. They immediately turned their heads and dropped everything when they saw him, though.

The drying arte finished its work as he entered, fully aware of the worried gazes on him. Laphicet closed the door first and made his way over to sit with them, heart beating to his chest with every step. Neither girl said anything, they could probably tell it was time and waited for him. It became easier as he settled on the couch next to Symonne, taking a deep breath for calm. "I'd like to try with the both of you," he began to ease the tension, being rewarded with beaming smiles that unwittingly drew out his own. "But I still don't understand so many things. I'm almost sure this is what I want, but I just can't stop worrying that it isn't." Glancing between the two however, he could feel his heart flutter. "But I definitely like your smiles a lot."

"It's fine," Symonne reassured him while snaking her hand into his. "This is a learning experience for all of us." Edna nodded along as she settled on his free side, mimicking the other girl's motion. His girlfriends, now. It felt odd to think of them that way, just like this.

"What now?" Edna asked after a moment.

"Uh... make out?"

Laphicet sighed in response to Symonne's suggestion, wondering why he did not see it coming. Before he could reprimand her however, Edna piped up: "I'd like that." Glancing over, he found her averting her gaze shily, cheeks pink. This time it was for him to fidget in embarassment. Symonne giggled, though she seemed just as sheepish.

"So, did you decide yet? Which of us do you want first?" Edna remained in her spot a moment longer before hesitantly shimmying around. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, then slipped off the couch and around Laphi, to straddle Symonne; she never let go of his hand though, pulling him along. With her choice clearly communicated, Laphicet first averted his eyes, but then could not help but watch anyway; the girls rested their foreheads against each other, staring into the other's eyes. "You sure," Symonne asked unnecessarily, then cupped Edna's chin when she nodded. "Alright."

Their kiss was chaste, much like his had been. Symonne led carefully, pressing her lips to Edna's until the other girl began to push back. It was sweet even for him to just watch, the two almost melting into each other; they separated after some time, smiling and squeezing his hands to remind him he was not forgotten.

After that, Symonne leaned over and kissed Laphi, then Edna did the same before Symonne claimed her lips again. They all tested the waters with each other, but that was perfectly fine with him. The rain roared outside, hardly noticed as they cuddled up after a while.

At first it was Laphicet sandwiched between the girls, warm and comfortable with them by his side; after a while however, Symonne leaned away and crawled over his and Edna's laps, coming to lie with Edna's hand carding through her black curls. Laphicet needed a moment to settle the hand not claimed by his other girlfriend, which the minx obviously noticed; she wiggled her butt a little and glanced back cheerfully. "Don't be shy, I know you like it. Wanna touch?" She then shrieked in surprise when he gave her a sharp smack, which quickly transitioned into giggles.

For his part, Laphicet sighed and rolled his eyes at Edna, who nodded back in their shared embarassment.

Cynthia and Margaret wandered into the room soon after that point; the moment the younger Randgriz saw them, she stopped dead in her tracks before quickly pulling her mother out of the room. All three seraphim sat completely still at first, but soon smiles went around. "This is nice," Laphicet finally voiced his thoughts. His girlfriends agreed readily.

It still felt odd in a way; he never managed to relax before while doing nothing, always rather reading a book or talking to people. Right here, right now, he was perfectly content enjoying Edna's and Symonne's presence and little else.

. .
. .​

​

It was already apparent at dinnertime with how the three of them were almost huddled together. Symonne smiled when Margaret and Alisha both congratulated them, though Velvet appeared just amused by the whole situation. Then again, Edna reasoned, she already took both girls aside before to have a quick word about being good to her brother.

Edna knew she did not need Velvet's blessing to be with Laphi, but it still meant a lot that she was so supportive of them. Especially when considering that Symonne could have easily been a spy if her current crisis of faith were less obvious; it had been a bit of a shock to learn she worked for Heldalf, but a long conversation with Grimoirh helped Edna work through that. Not to mention learning that her girlfriend never figured out 'old Nica's' actual identity. Everything was looking up.

After a few blissful days however, it was time for Symonne to carry on. Margaret and Alisha had already given them some time to enjoy together, but their patience clearly ran out. Symonne complained at her and Laphi of course, but there was little heat to it; the situation did not allow them to sit idle.

"Just so we're clear, no sex without me around."

But of course, she had to give them a parting shot; Edna averted her gaze over the mental images Symonne comment conjured up, not having spent much thought on when to go beyond just sharing kisses. Instead of responding, she just squeezed her girlfriend's hand; Symonne visibly revelled in the embarassment she caused both of them as they walked hand in hand to meet the others. "I mean it," she reaffirmed, though her smile grew less mischievous and more tender. "I want the first time we do that to be with all of us." She had a point there, though neither her nor Laphi wanted to even say as much. Edna also wondered whether it was alright to stay behind with their boyfriend when Symonne left already; they talked about it before, but she was still divided despite her girlfriend's reassurance.

The train of thought cut off when they reached the teleportation chamber, where Margaret and Alisha were already waiting for them; Velvet leaned against one of the walls and several seraphim moved to or from the gates. The other girls greeted them easily, Symonne distentangling her hand to wave; Edna's eyes found Laphi's and he nodded, adopting a playful grin that she shared. Symonne had meant to call out her readiness, but she grew stock-still when the two of them kissed her cheeks as one.

Laphi chuckled over Symonne's surprise and gave her a gentle push. "Don't let us stop you, get going."

"Stay safe," Edna added quietly, all while Margaret laughed and Alisha's pensive expression was replaced by something softer.

Symonne did not hesitate to join her friends, a bright smile on her face. "So, where are we going next?" she inquired curiously, though her gaze flicked back. Margaret indulged her as they powered up the arte.

"I was thinking about Gododdin. The village is rather far off and may be in need of aid."

"I can see why you would think that," Alisha chimed in then. "This does sound like a good idea." Like this, the three women entered the portal and were gone, leaving her with just Laphicet and Velvet. Edna studied the artes neatly arrayed, then turned around, both Crowes following;neither said anything about the bright smile she showed to the world.​

 

[Naron]

The final few days of their journey, Sorey and Mikleo wandered alongside an incredibly powerful barrier; neither of them dared even touch it, recalling Zenrus' warning about never heading in that direction. Malevolence most foul was contained behind, though for what reason neither of them could fathom.

Now however, three weeks since leaving Lastonbell and after Winter's cold winds embraced the land, they had finally arrived. Sorey watched the surprised but also impressed looks their entrance garnered as he slid over the mountaintop on a swirling river. Mikleo's control improved greatly from their time in the wilds and the two of them waved as everyone gathered around them giddily; Sorey could not help but smile, being home once more. He shared high-fives, bumped fists, exchanged greetings for several minutes before the entire area fell into a sudden lull.

As men and women made room, he saw just why the mood grew a little tense: there stood Zenrus himself, bent by age and tiny of a man with a long, white beard. Nonetheless, his presence felt as if he towered over everyone; the old seraph studied both brothers curiously. "I did not expect you back so soon, my boys," he then greeted them with a faint smile. "How did your journey go?"

The smile vanished when Sorey's expression clouded over. What remained of the good mood from before was gone at that point, though Mikleo thankfully took it off him to break the news: "A lot happened, gramps." He put a comforting hand on Sorey's shoulder before he even began. "Sorey bonded with Lailah and became Shepherd, so we spent a lot of time cleansing Hyland. But when we made for Rolance, we ran into the Lord of Calamity." Sorey clenched his fists and tried not to think back to it, but everyone's agitation and Zenrus' worry only filled him with shame again.

"We couldn't do anything," he found himself admitting. "He turned Lailah into a dragon in a single strike and she chased him away. Then she said to see you before running off." It hurt almost as much as it had the day he lost her.

Upon hearing the news, Zenrus appeared to age ten thousand years; he slumped in resignation, something none of them had ever seen before. "Zui was right," the ancient seraph muttered to himself, but did not elaborate. When someone out of the crowd asked about who Lailah was, he sighed and filled them in: "Seraph Lailah is... was the last active firekeeper. With her lost, there will be no more shepherds until another seraph takes up the Firekeeper's Oath and carries on the flame." An air of misery followed this declaration, perfectly fitting how Sorey felt on the inside.

A deep sigh shattered the silence and the hand on his shoulder receded. Mikleo stepped forward, expression set. "What kind of Oath is this? Lailah told me a little bit before, but no details." Sorey's eyes widened at that; he did not need to see Zenrus' surprise to get what his brother was thinking of doing.

"Mikleo, no! You don't have to do this!"

"The world needs a shepherd, Sorey. And all shepherds need the silver flame."

"But it still doesn't have to be you!"

"Yes, yes it does! Who else do you want to put this burden on? Saphira? Maisen?" The named seraphim flinched back when Mikleo pointed at them. "Edna? Gramps?" Sorey had no retort to that, but he still did not want his brother to go this far just because he felt he needed to.

Zenrus appeared to agree, seeing that he stepped toward them with a cautious question: "Are you certain? Such a choice should not be made lightly, Mikleo. Once made, an Oath can not be broken except under the most dire of circumstances or with great preparation." Their eyes met for several long moments, though Mikleo crossed his arms and frowned at the older seraph.

"We can't afford to waste time fretting about this," he implored and Sorey knew he was right. "I had weeks to think it through and this is what I will do. Glenwood needs the shepherd, and we need to hurry so we can grow stronger to catch up to the Lord of Calamity."

Much to Sorey's displeasure, Zenrus began to smile. It seems he had been convinced. The mix of surprise and pride radiating from the other seraphim only reaffirmed that this would happen; he knew he could not stop Mikleo after he made up his mind, but it would take time to make his peace with it. Zenrus inclined his head. "Then it shall be. Preparing the arte for this Oath will take me about two or three weeks, so you can rest up here for the time."

"Wait, that long?"

The question earned Mikleo a bop on the head and a short lecture: "Oaths are amongst the most complicated artes in existence and this one is an Oath I know particularly well! Were it not for that, you brats would be stuck here for at least two months, so be grateful!"

"Oh. Sorry, gramps."

The old man sighed and let it be.

So it was that the brothers began their stay at Elysia, though returning to his old life felt decidedly odd to Sorey. It was not the same after everything he experienced, though he appreciated the break. This tranquility no longer felt perfectly safe and protected, but rather a little oppressive despite him knowing he could leave anytime. Perhaps it was related to Mikleo, whom Zenrus continuously called away for some kind of lesson that he was sworn not to speak to Sorey about. All the erstwhile shepherd got out of his brother was that the elder taught him what a firekeeper needed to know; from lost history over general conduct to interaction with hellions and harnessing of the flame.

After the first week, both of them had joined Zenrus for tea. It was the first time Sorey could finally bring up something else that had been quietly gnawing at him. "Hey gramps," he started slowly, "do you remember Alisha? The girl I brought here a few months ago?" When he received a curious nod, Sorey continued: "Well, the thing is that she became a hellion. And I don't mean the usual kind, but... it's weird. I think she's still completely herself, and she wants to stay a hellion. We, uh, tried to cleanse her, but it didn't work." He made a pause to consider his words, unfortunately not being interrupted by questions as he had hoped. "Lailah agreed that we have to cleanse her, but Edna was annoyed with us later. I still don't know what to make of all this, you know? There are some hellions who seem just fine as they are, but...."

He trailed off at that point, uncertain how to phrase his question and doubts. Was it truly necessary to cleanse all hellions, or could there be a select few this did not apply to? Could they live happily despite being warped by Malevolence?

Zenrus, likely having read all of that out of him regardless, sighed. "I was worried about that," he admitted to the two brothers, head bowed. "Hellions that retain their personalities are not particularly rare, but those who wish to retain their altered state are. Of those, most are so disassociated with humankind that they either separate from it or wish to destroy it. This is difficult to teach a child and they are so rarely benevolent that I decided not to bring it up in the past. I expected that if you met any, they would turn out to be enemies." A rueful smile was offered to them. "And then I forgot to get back to it as you grew older. I hope you two can forgive me for that, it was my mistake."

After a momentary pause in which neither boy knew what to do in this unfamiliar situation, Zenrus straightened up and caught their eyes sternly. "The lesson I should have imparted on you long ago is a simple one: be careful who you trust, regardless of whether they are human or hellion. Though finding goodness in the latter is more rare, it is not impossible; you might just find good friends or allies in some of them."

"What about you?" Sorey could not help but ask. "Did you ever meet hellions like that?" He wondered why he never met any such friends the elder implied he had. Zenrus nodded, though it was followed by a sigh.

"I admit to negligence on that part. What few hellions I became acquainted with over the millennia have long since died. Or, wait." He hummed in thought and stroked his white beard, then perked up. "No, no. Rokurou might still be alive, now that I think about it. I have no idea where he went since the last time I saw him, but that was only two, perhaps three hundred years ago? He is one of the greatest swordsmen in recent history, with centuries of training and experience. Right up there with Claudin, Artorius, and...." He paused there, disregarding the way Sorey's eyes lit up in excitement. With a frown, Zenrus shook his head. "Dear me, I forgot her name. One of Artorius' students that ended up matching him."

Sorey could hardly believe that there were others on par with Claudin and Artorius, aside from perhaps Eleanor. It made him giddy but also puzzled about how that was mentioned nowhere. Zenrus successfully distracted him, though: "Anyway, Rokurou. A bit of a hothead whenever there was a chance of fighting a strong opponent, but generally a mellow fellow. He could easily be mistaken for a human if you do not know better." A quiet chuckle followed before the elder returned to their original subject: "That said, bring Alisha back here if you get the chance. I would like to talk to her."

He deflated visibly, unable to meet the old seraph's eyes. "Got to apologise to her first," he muttered. "And find her, she's somewhere in Rolance right now."

"I'm sure she will forgive you," Zenrus encouraged kindly, clapping his shoulder. "You are an earnest boy, Sorey, and she is an earnest girl. If turning truly left who she is unchanged, she will." He managed to coax out a smile and stir some hope of reconciliation in Sorey, who perked up.

When Elysia's only human resident left soon after to do some hunting, leaving behind his brother and parent, Mikleo slowly lowered his own tea. "You lied earlier," he accused calmly. "Who was that student under Artorius?"

Zenrus met his gaze evenly for a long moment.His winds sealed off the area around them. "You were always more cautious than Sorey," he grouched. "I remember that girl's name because she was the very first Lord of Calamity, the woman to coin the title. Artorius died by her hand." Mikleo's jaw fell in shock, but there were more revelations to come: "By her hand, the elemental Empyreans awoke and by their power, the archipelago from a thousand years past formed a single super continent that we now call Glenwood. By her hand, the Age of the Gods came to a close."

Mikleo forced himself to breathe deeply, unnecessary as the exercise was for a seraph. "Then why don't you tell him that?" he inquired sharply. "Knowing the past is important to make a better future!"

For some reason however, this prompted a humourless chuckle from the elder. "My boy, she made the future better." Mikleo blinked, caught by surprise yet again. Zenrus explained it to him: "Truly, many hundreds of thousands died through her machinations, perhaps even more. But in the end, through her actions, Maotelus stepped forward. Saint Eleanor could rise to be the person we now remember her as. The line of shepherds that remains unbroken to this day, if it were not for her, it might never truly have begun.

"This is another lesson for you: not all evil is the same. Not all who do evil do so for bad reasons and not all of them wish the world harm. You act as the shepherd's guide, but you also need to teach them to judge individually and not generally. I... failed to impart that lesson on both of you so far, but it is one you need to learn. Not necessarily for Sorey, but for whoever might come after him. And the one after that. No two people are the same and at the end of the day, Lords of Calamity are people, too."

He adopted a wry grin somewhere throughout, perhaps it even grew a fraction from seeing Mikleo at his wit's end. He could understand that her actions led to good things, but not believe it had been intentional. "B-But, that doesn't make sense," he found himself arguing. "You just said she did all these horrible things, killed so many people. Why was she any different?"

"Ah, that." Zenrus inclined his head. "Mind, Mikleo, I am not absolving her of the deeds she committed. Understanding is not absolution." He had a point there. "But I long since learned that all she did, she did not do out of any drive to harm the world or its people. She held personal hatred for Shepherd Artorius, strong enough to disregard anyone who would stand in her way to him. Everything she did, every death and every action, was to that purpose. There is a difference there, even if the result appears similar to the Calamities that came after."

Everything began to come together; Mikleo mulled it over while Zenrus refilled his tea, though a burning curiousity forced him to inquire further: "What did she hate Artorius for?"

"That, my boy, is a matter best left lost to time. It concerned only the two of them."

"I see. And the difference you mean... is it that if this hatred of hers hadn't been there, she never would have left her mark on the world?" He must have gotten it right, seeing that the elder offered him a rare smile.

"Correct," Zenrus praised, though he remained stern in tone. "Keep this in mind, Mikleo. Many goals can affect the world if they belong to great people, but many of these may not involve the world itself. To understand what they are truly after is important, for it may allow you to prevent a fight."

They continued the lesson in this vein, to the point that it took hours for Mikleo to realise he never learned the first Calamity's name; knowing that this ancient seraph did few things unintentionally, he concluded that this was not knowledge he would gain in Elysia. Ultimately, he decided not to bother about it for the time being and focus on the present.

The second week after their arrival, Sorey and Mikleo had already fallen back into their old rhythm. They explored less than they had before their journey and rather spent time with the other seraphim, but no one paid that much mind. Just as every day, everyone sat together in the village's center for breakfast; a tradition that had been born with Sorey, for Zenrus was concerned the toddler would not understand his need to eat otherwise.

The elder was just explaining to Mikleo that the Oath was almost ready when he perked up and turned his head. "Someone entered my domain," he informed everyone calmly. Conversation ceased at once. "In roughly the same direction as the boys arrived from."

"Were we followed? Hellions?"

"No, Mikleo. A human and two seraphim." A gentle breeze caressed the group as a whole moments later; every single wind seraph stiffened up and Zenrus exhaled slowly. "They found us." Everyone rose almost as one, forming a protective circle around Sorey and Mikleo just in case, though the young men stepped to the front moments later. The gust grew in intensity, becoming a minor storm that tore at the area yet damaged nothing and merely ruffled their clothes.

Then a person surged over the mountain's edge and onto the plateau right outside Elysia, the winds settling. Two seraphim became tangible by their side, their sight merely adding to Sorey's surprise; he could not help but watch in awe as Rose of all people strolled up to the entrance and pushed through Zenrus' barrier. What was more, not just Dezel but also Zaveid flanked her, all three of them taking in the place.

"Rose!" He failed to even notice how his cheerful call dispersed the tension, already jogging over to the older woman. Some others followed, though he reached first and bumped fists with Rose.

"Heya!" she greeted him back with a grin. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced, the guys refuse to send mail for me!" Dezel huffed and shook his head, though Zaveid paid her no mind at all; he was busy winking at the lady seraphim around. Rose continued to rake her eyes over Elysia, whistling appreciatively. "But man, this place looks odd up here. Never thought this is where seraphim would live. I like it!"

"Heh, thanks." Despite the surprising reunion, Sorey could not help but appreciate Rose's presence; seeing another familiar face was nice, although it did not sate his curiousity. "What brings you all the way out here?"

Rose hesitated, glancing at the seraphim studying her before folding her hands behind her back. "Well, uh... here's the thing, I heard what happened with Lailah." Sorey's smile dropped and she grimaced, but kept going. "Yeah. So I figured you'd need all the help you can get. And so here I am, one squire ready to go!" Upbeat once more, Rose grinned at the dumbfounded shepherd. She was momentarily distracted when Zenrus chuckled behind him, waving. "You the boss-man around here?"

"Correct, young lady. I am Zenrus. Allow me to extend my gratitude for coming to Sorey's aid."

"Eh, it's no big deal! Don't mention it."

"She's going to preen for days, ain't she?"

"Of course she will."

"Oh, can it, you jerks?" Rose whirled around to glare at the men behind her, who had been stage-whispering at each other. The banter earned some chuckles from the crowd

Which was when Mikleo arrived, stepping in front of Sorey with a glare directed at Zaveid. "And you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?" Zaveid was visibly unimpressed, merely rolling his eyes.

"Well gee," he drawled back, "whatever could the great Zaveid be doing here of all places, right now? I heard what happened, too. Same deal as Rose, you guys need all the help you can get."

"We don't need the help of a murderer!" There was some agitation among the crowd over his accusation, though Zaveid just shrugged in response. Zenrus sighed and was likely the only one who noticed Rose drag her feet for a moment. Sorey was still trying to understand his own feelings on Zaveid's presence, uncertain if he should be indignant like his brother or happy the other seraph wanted to help.

Zaveid made to respond but paused, reconsidered, and then shook his head. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but that's how it is. We don't get what we want with the world at stake, we take what we can get." His grin returned at that point. "If it helps, I'll promise not to kill anyone or anything unless you do it first."

Mikleo made to retort, but stopped himself before Sorey could; Zaveid had a point. Mikleo sighed. "It's not really my choice anyway." He glanced to Sorey, who understood his meaning; as shepherd, he had the last word in who to take along. This would be a difficult decision to make, he knew.

"I need to think about it," he deflected the question, which everyone accepted well enough. Then however, he realised something important and turned back to Zaveid and Dezel: "Wait, aren't you both wind seraphim?"

Rose pre-empted them both cheerfully: "Yep, that's how we got here so quickly. It's incredible how fast these guys can go!"

"Right," Mikleo mused, a little more calm now. "That would be an issue. With Edna, that leaves us without a fire seraph."

"So what?" Zaveid earned several confused looks, equally as befuddled before it dawned on him. "Wait, seriously? Lailah fed you that bullshit about needing a seraph of each element? And you never asked yourself... forget it, of course you didn't." He slapped his forehead in exasperation, ignoring the surprise and murmuring around them.

"Language, young man," Zenrus' voice cut through the chatter, though Zaveid just laughed off his stern stare.

"Come on, pal! I'm already offering your baby boy to help out, meet me halfway." He spread his arms wide in a peaceful gesture, though the elder frowned at him. He did not insist though, shocking both Sorey and Mikleo; he had never once let off about something like this.

"Wait," Mikleo realigned the conversation, "that's beside the point. What did you mean that not all elements are needed?" Rose had turned to Zaveid as well, making it clear he knew something most did not. The wind seraph heaved a sigh, but indulged them anyway.

Raising one finger, he began: "Simple. First of all, the sublord's pact has no requirement for only one seraph of each element. Technically not for the number of seraphim either, but three is usually the maximum most prime lords can take. Need to be a good bit older than Lailah or I to support more, or be a Great Lord." Sorey nodded in understanding and a second finger was raised. "Second, there's no such constraint on the Oath for the prime lord either. I know that for a fact 'cause I met the lady that made the arte." The disbelief from the crowd was ignored and a third finger rose "And lastly, it's good to have a seraph from each element! Most shepherds start like you, wide-eyed goody two-shoes that need every advantage they can get. A complete elemental coverage is part of that. Heck, if ya wanted you could have a team of four of the same element, but that sucks if you run into something highly resistant to that one element. So the prime lords tell their new shepherds to recruit one of each element instead of doubling up. Dezel and I are just fine on the same team, we just need to compensate for anything that takes fire to fight effectively."

Leaving a momentary pause for it all to sink in, Zaveid then pointed at Zenrus. "Right, old man?" As all eyes went to him, the elder inclined his head.

"Correct, in all points," he confirmed.

Sorey considered what he just learned, but found no real reason to deny Zaveid. "Okay, that's fine then." A moment later, something occurred to him. "Wait, gramps? How many sublords could you support?"

"Hm? Is he, like, super old or something?"

Regardless of whether anyone wanted to answer Rose's question, Zenrus chuckled and answered Sorey's with a wry smile: "More than enough, my boy. But I am a little old for a journey like yours."

From there, the new arrivals spread out and mingled with Elysia's native seraphim. Rose fielded questions about her merchant life and the dangers on the road, to the point she brandished her dagger to emphasize she could keep up in battle. Sorey attempted talking to Dezel, who brushed him off more or less gently; they only got to talking when the wind seraph found an injured eagle some ways off and began treating it.

Aside from it all, Mikleo and Zaveid stood. Both were observing the goings-on and both were surprised by the other. "Any reason you're not in the thick of it with your buddy?" Zaveid first broke the awkward silence between them; Mikleo was tempted to ignore him or start another fight, but forced himself to be civil.

"I'm practicing not to get myself involved too much," he explained slowly. "Gramps' order." He got an understanding noise and little else in response, upon which both of them relapsed into quiet contemplation. As he pondered however, a recent memory stirred and Mikleo glanced to Zaveid again. "Say, how old are you?"

"Uh... 'bit over a thousand years, why?"

"So you were around during the Age of the Gods? The first Lord of Calamity?"

Zaveid's previous curiousity turned into an owlish look, which was followed by a laugh. "Heh, damn right I was! Met the lady a few times, too. Why'd you ask?" He remained amicable, but Mikleo noticed the air shifting all around them; much like Zenrus, Zaveid had sealed all sound from carrying past them. He left it uncommented and rather answered the question honestly.

"Gramps is teaching me about the past so I can fulfill my new role even after Sorey... you know." Just the thought of him dying one day filled Mikleo with dread and sadness; he could hardly even allude to it, though Zaveid thankfully understood and clapped his shoulder. He took a deep breath and cast that existential nightmare aside. "Anyway, he told me the first Calamity was not after the end of the world like most of those after her, and that I have to learn about the reasons behind peoples' actions if I want to understand what drives them. He didn't tell me her name for some reason, or the exact details of what went on. Could you tell me more about what happened back then?"

Zaveid heard him out, then crossed his arms as he considered the request. Contrary to what Mikleo expected, the older man neither ridiculed nor dismissed him out of hand. When Zaveid did speak however, it led to a bit of a tangent: "Your gramps is a smart guy. Think you can actually do it, the understanding part? Maybe even put your own biases aside?"

"I don't know yet," he admitted after some hesitation. "I'm trying, but it's hard."

"Yeah, it always is."

"...come to think of it, why do you feel you have to kill those hellions?"

"Was waiting for that one." Zaveid ceased to look at Mikleo now, rather observing Sorey still following Dezel around in the distance. "Tell you what, I'll give you that one as a peace offering. Keep it to yourself."

He did not like to keep secrets from his brother, but Mikleo felt it was only fair to heed Zaveid's request in turn and nodded. "Okay."

At first, Zaveid only sighed before pointing toward Sorey. "Truth be told, I used to be just like him," he revealed to his baffled audience. "Followed my own creed, a fighter, not a killer. Even protected some dragons on the way." Mikleo barely managed to suppress his initial exclamation.

"That is, well, a little hard to believe."

"Yeah. Had some personal stakes back then that aren't your business, but I was perfectly willing to die for those. It took Eizen months to hammer that out of me, and decades more before I got really comfortable with it."

Mikleo could not help but interject again: "Wait, Eizen? As in, Edna's brother Eizen?" It earned him a knowing wink from Zaveid.

"Big surprise, huh? Anyway, the point is that he was right. All seraphim will one day turn into dragons, a curse upon our entire kind. We lose who we were and even lash out against the people we loved most before we turned. That's no longer being alive, it's just a mockery of who they were. So killing them is a kindness, an end to the madness that will never end. Edna knows it too, but she refuses to accept it yet. That's why I'm going to kill Eizen the moment I can, for both of them. I owe that guy for setting me straight."

Mikleo wanted to argue, but be it his own experiences over the last few months or the lessons with Zenrus, he could see Zaveid's point. Dragonhood was inescapable at this point in time and after seeing Lailah's dragon so... afraid of even being near them, likely well aware of the death she would bring, he understood it. He still did not like it, but he understood. Nodding his head to the older seraph, Mikleo then probed a little further: "...and the hellions? Those can be purified."

Zaveid actually huffed, throwing him an incredulous look. "If you're a fancy pancy shepherd, sure. But guess what, shepherd's are a rare breed. So I've got to make do with what I can do." Again he had a point and this time Mikleo's own mind even added to it.

"Not to mention that some hellions can't be quelled."

"Exactly! Now you get it!" He clapped Mikleo's shoulder again, an odd sense of camraderie between the two of them. "Now listen up, I meant it. Don't have any reason to kill hellions if I can burn away the Malevolence." This was indeed reassuring, though Mikleo still wondered; he voiced his worries while watching Rose and Sorey begin to spar in a ring of spectators.

"And... if the hellion can't be cleansed, but is not evil?"

"What, like his girlfriend?" He nodded toward Sorey and chuckled over Mikleo's unamused stare. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill someone who doesn't need killing. If they've got their marbles together and don't cause harm, why would I?"

"I see. That is good to know, thank you for sharing."

"Ah, don't mention it, buddy."

At this point, Mikleo felt that he understood Zaveid a little better; in addition however, he suspected that the other man's aggression toward Sorey may result from being reminded of his past self. For his own safety, Mikleo wisely kept that assumption to himself and rather commented on the spar they were watching: "Rose is good."

"She is." They were in easy agreement, seeing that the redhead just trounced Sorey. She was not quite running circles around him, but it showed how much more real combat experience she had. Sorey's defeat repeated itself twice more before Zaveid spoke up again, getting to a different subject: "Wanna know something curious?"

"What would that be?"

"Way back when, Lady Calamity was big on forging her own path and never faltering until she reached her goal. Alisha's a lot like her in that regard." Zaveid shrugged when he noticed Mikleo's frown. "I just noticed is all. That girl is determined and powerful, so be careful when letting Sorey deal with her. She won't stop, not even for him." The frown deepened; Mikleo caught his meaning and it worried him.

"You think she would kill him?"

"Pft, no." Zaveid actually chuckled for a moment, dismissing the question like it was foolish to be concerned. "Not without a lot of pressure. But if push comes to shove? She could. That's the lesson you really don't wanna learn on your own: don't push a good man or woman too far, else you create a monster."

"I see." He had a point once again; Mikleo learned a bit about Alisha and saw her go through life with her head held high, regardless of what happened. He vividly remembered the darkness suffusing her and the abject horror when she snapped; for a moment, Mikleo truly though he would die that day in Lastonbell. Only standing before Heldalf had been worse, though the memory of that day made his chest clench. He suppressed a sigh and, thinking of people and monsters and a past conversation, found something else to inquire about: "By the way, I was wondering: what's your blessing? Mine lets me heal all kinds of sicknesses, though no wounds." When Zaveid threw him a look, he shrugged. "Sorey and I recently realised that we never asked Lailah and now we... we can't."

"Ah, gotcha." Zaveid nodded in understanding, crossing his arms behind his back. "I'll start off with Lailah 'cause I actually know about hers. Don't look so shocked, I've met her before. She got an aura of fertility. Helps human women conceive and makes the baby more healthy." Mikleo nodded slowly, though still incredulous about Zaveid of all people knowing that. At least he did not have to prod for the other man to continue. "My own isn't anything to write home about. It's just wanderlust. The longer I'm around, the more everyone feels this itch to go out and travel, see the world."

"Huh, that's interesting. Is that why you never stay in one place?"

"Kinda? No idea if it affects me or if I'm just like that, but I like to travel. 'sides, if you look over there you can see Dezel's at work." Successfully distracted, Mikleo's attention turned to the other wind seraph; he was still busy treating that eagle he stumbled upon, the feral animal sitting and allowing his touch without any fuss. "Animals just love the guy. Doesn't matter how big or how small or how angry, put Dezel in front of it and it's completely tame."

"I see." He never considered just how varied blessings could be. "That might come in handy... say, do you know what Edna's blessing does, too?"

"Nope. She never told me and I'm not sure Eizen knew 'cause he didn't, either." Zaveid shrugged, likely aware that they had little chance to learn about this one. Talking of her however, Mikleo decided to inquire about their absent companion next.

"Actually, have you seen Edna? Is she still in Lastonbell?"

Zaveid chuckled again and threw Mikleo a grin. "Oh, absolutely. Was about to catch herself a cute girlfriend, and a boyfriend at the same time. We might have to go pick her up there."

"Oh, really?" he could not help his own curiousity. "I had no idea she was fancying anyone." By the way Zaveid laughed then, he might have just missed it. Regardless, he felt glad that she had someone to take care of her. "Well, at least one of us is happy these days."

"I'll drink to that!" Zaveid clapped his shoulder one final time and Mikleo had a rather odd realisation: somehow, they seemed to have become friends.

. .
. .​

The day after Rose's arrival, Mikleo took his Oath; no one but him and Zenrus were present for the occasion, though. Much to his displeasure, Sorey had been refused from witnessing this important moment. To further bring his mood down, Rose decided to try whipping him into shape in the meantime. It hardly helped that Dezel fared about as well, sparring with Zaveid nearby. Some of the local seraphim were watching, sometimes discussing artes and techniques with the new arrivals.

Thankfully, Mikleo arrived sometime between the sixtieth and seventieth time Sorey left an imprint in the fresh snow. His presence hushed the ongoing conversations and everyone took a moment to appreciate the water seraph; he appeared unchanged, though there were more white trims to his light blue robe now and every seam had changed colour. Both he and Zenrus moved with an air of purpose.

"Did it work?" Sorey could not help but ask; Mikleo silently held out one hand and produced a silvery flame from his palm. It licked the air greedily, its sight drawing a smile from Sorey; Mikleo smiled as well and they nodded at each other in silent agreement. Now the shepherd had a fighting chance.

As all were focussed on the brothers however, only Dezel noticed Zaveid doing something behind his back. He did not get to ask about it though, for they then began establishing the necessary bonds; first Sorey and Mikleo, then Rose's Squire's Pact, followed by Zaveid's and Dezel's sublords' pacts.

Almost as soon as the final bond was forged, the ground quaked. Several people lost their balance and fell, then another tremor hit. Earth seraphim pointed to the distant mountains and Sorey prepared for trouble, now knowing that this was not nature's doing. Yet there were no hellions and, as nothing else happened, Zenrus began to huff. "What a lively girl," he commented.

A third tremor tore through his confusion, followed by a familiar form bouncing over the mountaintop. She sailed gracefully through the air, gliding with her orange umbrella; each step of hers cleared a hundred metres as she pushed back into the air. A pillar rumbled out of the ground as her last leap carried her close, turning to sand at the base and slowing Edna's descent. She came to stand right in front of Sorey and the villagers, dropping a curtsy without a single hair out of place.

After several moments of flabbergasted silence, Rose began to clap. Zaveid followed her example and soon Edna sported a satisfied grin as she received a proper applause. "I'm here," she greeted when the noise subsided. "Guess I'm a little late, though. I was held up."

"Nah." Rose waved her off cheerfully. "It's fine. Mikleo just finished taking the Oath, so you're just in time for the party!"

"Oh, so Mibu is my boss now. I might have to reconsider."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?!"

Edna showed one of her normal grins as she turned to the annoyed firekeeper. "Water boy with fire," she deadpanned. "You're going to go pshhh on us and evaporate before Winter is out." The comment earned some laughs from the crowd. Sorey was just happy that she seemed to have recovered from losing Lailah, so he let the banter continue.

"No way, that's not how the silver flame works!"

"Are you sure about that? If you aren't and mess up, it's over. Mikleover."

Rose broke into giggles at that point, skipping forward to clap Edna's shoulder. "Heh, come on, be nice, shorty. Just for today?"

Edna just stared up at her pointedly before shrugging. "Being big is for losers. Big losers." Though she did leave Mikleo alone after that. Sorey took the moment to introduce Zenrus, at which point she adopted a prim and proper posture; she even curtsied again. The elder obviously did not buy it.

"Go easy on Mikleo for a while, young lady," he chided her gently. "That stubborn boy takes more of burden on himself than he knows."

"I know."

Twirling her umbrella behind herself, she held Zenrus' gaze calmly. Sorey had no idea what they were trying to tell each other, but the old seraph seemed to understand well enough. Mikleo crossed his arms defensively, staring between them. "Really now? How so?"

"Shush, the grown-ups are talking. You need to be at least a thousand years old before you can join this conversation." Edna waved the younger seraph away and many others around them shuffled a little awkwardly as well.

Rose nudged him with her elbow then, whispering a question: "Think that rule goes for humans, too?" He could only shrug.

As far as Mikleo was concerned however, a little teasing could not actually turn the day completely horrible. They finished forming the sublord pacts and then the newcomers began to experiment with their flames; Zaveid took charge instructing Dezel with surprising insight while Sorey explained to Rose. This left the new firekeeper at the sidelines, standing with Edna of all people; just as he intended. "I just need to make sure you'll follow orders," he explained as they watched the others, "we can't afford to fight when we're in the field."

"Fighting is what we do in the field," she retorted with a lopsided grin, to which he rolled his eyes. She turned serious right after. "But I get it, and I will. As long as you don't tell me what to do all the time, we're fine."

Admittedly, this stung a little. "I know you don't think much of me, but could you at least have enough faith to not believe I'd abuse my power?" He really thought they were past that point. Edna kept quiet for a few seconds, mulling it over.

"You know what, that's fair."

Her response was surprising, though. He threw the girl a sideway glance. "Huh. I thought you would make more of a fuss about it."

"You're the boss now and we can't afford to squabble over everything," Edna replied with a shrug, though her nonchalance was soon broken by another grin. "A lot of things sure, but not everything. I wouldn't have taken the Firekeeper's Oath even now, and I can respect that you did." The sudden praise surprised him even more, but he took it and raised a fist; Edna bumped her knuckles against his a moment later, but he knew things would not be completely different.

"You aren't going to leave me alone from now on."

"Not at all."

Mikleo huffed, but rather changed the subject: "I heard from Zaveid that you are in a relationship now." The non-sequitur threw Edna for a loop, seeing as she first paused and then frowned.

"I am. Why do you bring it up?"

"No real reason," he quickly reassured his sublord. "I just wanted to say I'm glad that you found someone you like." He actually meant it too, though Edna was even more confused now.

"I... see. Thank youuu?" She drew out the response as she tested it, drawing a huff from Mikleo which he followed with a conspiratory grin.

"Now I only need to figure something out for Sorey and that's that."

Seeing her so befuddled was actually amusing; Edna usually appeared in control of the situation, so he gladly offered her a few of his own thoughts. The girl eyed him cautiously. "How so?" she asked, to which he just gave her the truth.

"I don't know much about romance, but I know having a caring partner improves one's mood. You look happier now, you know?"

"...okay. So you want to find Sorey someone so he... why?"

He shrugged at her. "It's interesting to observe how people change. I thought he was interested in Alisha, but that ran into, uh, problems." He winced, though Edna gave no indication she processed that part; her owlish look still remained.

"Did you always think in that kind of way?"

"Yes, most of my life?"

"Huh." Edna quietly mulled over what she just learned; Mikleo never made much of a secret out of his favourite activities. Most just failed to notice that he liked people-watching. They were both drawn out of the introspective silence by a loud yelp from Sorey, who was currently completely on fire; Rose laughed at him while he tried to pat out the silver flames. They continued to watch, neither moving to help him. Edna glanced up at Mikleo curiously. "Lailah said that Sorey knew your true name even before you bonded."

"Ah, that." He felt a little sheepish about the reminder, but inclined his head to the other man. "He's my brother, of course he knows my true name." He almost messed up their moment by asking if she knew Eizen's true name, stopped from that blunder merely because Edna spoke up first.

"Makes sense. Are you actively trying to get him with someone?"

"Not actively," he began, but corrected himself: "Not at all, to be honest. I'm just watching, and maybe I would give him a nudge if I think someone he is getting close with is bad company."

"I see, so you're Mama Mikleo."

"...can we please not do this for five minutes?" His annoyance was not as great as it probably sounded right now, though the request did wipe Edna's grin away.

"Okay." She stood motionless for a while, but finally added a quiet "Sorry" that astonished Mikleo; knowing her like he did however, he kept quiet.

Soon after their conversation concluded, Sorey decided for their newly formed team to head out. They were seen off with waves, cheers, and fireworks while Zaveid's and Dezel's winds carried both Shepherd and Squire over the mountainside. Their first stop was Lastonbell, just where they left off before.

 

[Naron]

"Eyes on the prize, Symonne." Margaret watched the water seraph shake aside her thoughts for the third time that day and sighed. "You've been lovesick since the day we left and we can both tell." Alisha was busy tearing up the ground and did not listen, but Margaret knew it regardless. "You could have stayed behind a little longer, we wouldn't think less of you."

It had been about two weeks since they left Lastonbell, but not a day passed without Symonne losing herself in thoughts of Edna and Laphicet. In truth, Margaret understood; she remembered the many times she thought of Celica. Even in this life her thoughts sometimes strayed back in time.

"Can't," Symonne refused her steadfastly. "I promised I'd be there with you, so I go where you go. We're going to be back soon enough, anyway."

"Agreed. We're heading back once we're done here." The quip earned her a glower, but no rebuttal; Margaret pointed toward the torn ground Alisha produced for them. "Now go dig out that spring already, it's getting late and I'm cold."

The seraph girl muttered under her breath, but did as she was told. She marched right past a gaggle of other hellions that volunteered to help when Margaret first told them of her plan. The villagers of Gododdin were sturdy folk indeed; some vanished after turning, but a surprising number of them persevered against the darkness and continued to support their little village. Some werewolves, a lion man, and several lizardpeople dug with an enthusiasm that far surpassed Alisha's. The therion's greater power still made her the fastest digger, though. As for Margaret herself, she considered making another trek down the mountain. Planning a route for this new river took some time, but the snowfall they expected any day now would certainly erase her markings.

Regardless, they made good progress. Inhuman strength and spiritual power saw them arriving at the mountain's foot within two days, though snowfall interfered with their efforts from then on. The ground was frozen, but that did not stop the determined people. Margaret could not help but feel proud, ragged and sweaty as she herself grabbed a shovel to assist; she was vaguely aware of other, human villagers watching them with clear astonishment.

"You really should not push yourself like this, Lady Shepherd," the mayor urged her that evening at the communal fire. "Such menial labour does not befit one such as you." Others that heard him nodded along, but Margaret merely shook her head.

"I appreciate your concern, but it is quite alright. I can do little else to express my respect for the people of this village." She motioned for their surroundings, the barren land and bare mountainside. "They settled here regardless of hardships and kept their good spirit throughout." As if on cue, barking laughter sounded from where some of the hellions were trading friendly barbs with Symonne. Margaret could not help but smile at the uncomfortable elder. "I am aware you had to stoop lower than you liked in the process, but I understand. Giving you a means to continue without this fake elixir is the least I can do, especially because it is in my power. I will talk to a few earth seraphim I know and have them assess the soil. Next spring, you can plant crops."

"You are too kind," he muttered with a weak bow; Margaret saw his glistening eyes, but left it uncommented. Mayor Slenge heaved a deep sigh that turned into a pained cough, drawing Margaret closer to stroke his back soothingly.

"Don't push yourself too hard, sir," she cautioned. "The fumes must have affected you more than we thought."

"I knew what I was doing," he muttered to her in response, voice weak but yet determined. "It was I who suggested to brew this fake elixir and also I who decided to base it on vermillion ore. It is only fair that I suffer the consequences, too." Margaret well remembered the rejuvenating but addictive properties of properly refined vermillion ore, just as she recalled it's fumes were poisonous. She soothed the mayor some more, but a faint smile crept onto her face nonetheless. She sympathised and, although he would refuse if he knew, planned to hire a healer from the Bloodwings to see to him.

"I have to correct you on one matter, though," she continued when Slenge appeared to be through the worst of it. "I am not shepherd. Truly, I plan to become one in time, but right now I am merely a traveler."

"Ah, but what is a shepherd if not a benign soul who aids those in need?" The old man chuckled again and took her hand. "It does not matter to me what the actual requirements are. We will remember you as the gentle shepherd, Margaret." She could not help but avert her gaze bashfully, though her heart almost burst with joy.

"I concur," Alisha chimed in as she settled next to them with three mugs, two of which she handed to the humans. "You go above and beyond what many a traveler would be willing to do, Margaret. Regardless of whether you hold the flames of purification, if anyone deserves to be called shepherd, it is you."

Slenge nodded along, though his gaze was slowly drawn to Alisha. After studying the therion, he hummed thoughtfully. "I can not help but notice that your posture is quite unlike the common folk, miss Alisha. Your manner of speech is rather more eloquent as well, though I can not quite place your accent. Are you perchance a member of the nobility?" Both women stiffened over his keen observation, though the mayor just chuckled when he noticed. "I see these eyes of mine still work. Worry not, my lips are sealed."

Relief flooded through Margaret just as fast as worry had earlier; Alisha relaxed as well, though they both wondered if he had actually not recognised the name of a princess. Then however, Margaret's eyes narrowed at the mayor. "Takes one to know one, I take it?" she probed; he swallowed a mouthful of beer at that moment, starting another coughing fit; both women supported him until he calmed down, though it was with a sigh.

"Shows that karma exists. That's what I get for digging where I should not," he grumbled, then glanced at them. "It is true, but I left that life behind me. Until my dying breath, I will now look after the people of Gododdin." Margaret inclined her head in understanding and Alisha followed suit, then the three of them returned to their meals.

However, Slenge soon stilled and his eyes grew wide. Symonne strolled over to them at the time, gathering quite a few gazes from all around. Margaret needed a moment to realise why this was odd; she could not feel Innominat's domain, yet humans without resonance saw her. The mayor carefully studied the girl as she settled on Margaret's lap, though he was clearly befuddled. "Pardon, young miss, but I do not think I ever saw you here before. Are you alright?"

"Just fine," Symonne chirped back cheerfully. "I have been around for a while, but it just occurred to me I can do this." Margaret embraced her from behind, still uncertain what to make of the situation. "But I guess his holiness would expect a seraph to be a little different than I am, no?" Slenge paled visibly, but the girl waved dismissively. "Don't worry, I'm an illusionist, no one except those two heard me. They figured out half of it already, anyway."

"...you can read lips, can't you?"

"Took you long enough to notice!" Symonne had the gall to giggle when Margaret squeezed her; the villagers watched them with alienated fascination, though some of that soon shifted to Alisha's now revealed tail and the other hellions and seraphim present.

"It truly is a blessing," Slenge mused, then bowed his head toward Symonne. "I am most grateful, Lady Seraph. That at least this once before my life comes to an end, I am granted sight of you and yours." Symonne began to shift uncomfortably, unused to such praise. Margaret had half a mind to tease her, but the mayor's next question robbed her of the chance: "If you would be so inclined, I hear that seraphim live far longer than humans? Would you be willing to entertain my curiousity?"

Symonne made a show of thinking it over, but Margaret could tell Slenge buttered her up just fine. She pinched the other girl's bare waist, but got no reaction beyond a lazy smile. "Sure, but only, let's say, one question. I don't like my mind picked and we'd be here for days if you got to ask everything you can think of."

"Even just one is a great kindness upon a curious mind," Slenge responded before falling quiet in contemplation. Margaret took notice of other conversations stopping to listen; Alisha leaned closer, just as curious as the townsfolk. Slenge hummed and muttered for a while, then nodded to himself and met Symonne's gaze again. "Much is said and written about the distant past, but one of its greatest figures has always intrigued me. We know the Hero King ascended from his claim to rule, we know Saint Eleanor succeeded Shepherd Artorius after his mutual kill with a vicious Lord of Calamity. But Artorius himself is a mystery; where did he come from, and why did he step up when he did?"

All at once, the floor fell away beneath her. Margaret paled and clung to Symonne desperately, her body cold and mind ablaze with memories of a life not hers. She did not want to be here, did not want to listen, but she had no excuse to flee. Then Symonne squeezed her hand ever so gently as if she understood; Margaret forced all these feelings back under control, deciding to deal with them later.

Once her grasp eased, the seraph girl uttered a thoughtful noise. "Artorius, eh? I didn't check what is written and I rarely hear stories about him, but I get it. It's been a thousand years, but there is little to say." Lie. "I actually met him a few times, but we never talked to each other. All I know is from talking to others who knew him." Truth. "Artorius was as grand a man as he is remembered as, I can tell you that." Lie. "But where he came from, well... it was a bit of an open secret that King Claudin trained him as his successor from a young age. Though I also heard he suffered a great loss before taking up the mantle, which made him act as he did."

Margaret wondered just how much Symonne really knew; she was lying to preserve the memory of a saviour, true, but she could not help but feel that she remained vague for her sake as well. It may be nothing, though.

Regardless, thinking of her past did confront her with an old question. The conversation had continued a little while she was distracted and then stalled, giving her the opportunity to ask: "Slenge? I was wondering if you'd indulge a question of mine as well."

"Oh? Of course, ask away, my dear."

"...why do you think birds fly?"

She noticed and ignored the immediate confusion; Alisha muttered something about having heard the question before while Symonne sat still in her lap, watching the old mayor just like Margaret did. He tapped his chin idly, musing: "What a peculiar question to ask. Why, what else is a bird than a being that flies? It is as much a part of them as breathing."

A good answer. Margaret inclined her head and thanked the mayor; she headed to bed soon after, fighting off the crazy idea of confronting Symonne. If her friend figured out whose soul she carried, she would bring it up; if Margaret jumped at shadows, she would just tip the smart girl off.

After finding sleep more easily than anticipated after that conversation, it was the next afternoon when everything went wrong. Just as she prepared to teach the townsfolk about crop rotation, a well-dressed man proclaiming himself as 'Shepherd Malfore' arrived in the village and talked down to its people. They all certainly wanted to interject, but the presence of a knight escort a dozen strong made everyone hold their tongues as the impostor led Slenge away for a private conversation.

"He knows about the fake elixir," Symonne relayed via an illusionary self. "One General Tuller of Rolance is his benefactor and he wants 'donations' toward his 'righteous cause'." Here, Margaret actually had to hold onto Alisha's shoulder to stop the therion from acting.

"Not now," she cautioned her friend, who grudgingly stood down.

"I'll repeat my suggestions from a few days ago," the fake Symonne continued nonchalantly. "Let's make this village a Bloodwing outpost. They can pay for using the land and have a reason to make any documents he might have left for people to find vanish."

The implied course of action was clear enough. Margaret closed her eyes and took a deep breath; none of the villagers could hear her whispered conversation with Alisha as she expanded on Symonne's words: "We need to gather information about this man, but we can not risk him harming the people of Gododdin any more in the meantime. If he has no truly redeeming qualities to at least balance out his posing as the shepherd, we will act... so says reason." The last part slipped out involuntarily, though Alisha did not comment. She had to tell her friends about this at some point, but Margaret was not ready to breach the subject yet.

"They're coming back," Symonne's illusion announced with clear annoyance. "The 'shepherd' gets half of the profits and he's happy."

"Not for much longer," Alisha promised solemnly as their friend returned. They waited for Malfore to leave before she addressed Slenge gently: "Worry not, we will see to this."

Though he appeared defeated, the elder immediately shook his head and refused her. "No, no. I could not ask such of you. It was my own folly that led to this, so I will have to pay the price."

"You did what had to be done," Margaret argued softly as she took Alisha's side. "Being punished for it I understand, but this is not punishment. This is petty greed unbefitting of being associated with the shepherd. Please think of it as us taking action to protect the sacred title from a phony, and know that the only living shepherd at the moment is Shepherd Sorey. He may arrive here one of these days."

"I see." Slenge did not appear too happy, but he accepted the way out Margaret just offered. He inclined his head at the women. "Then we are in your debt once more. Is there really nothing we can do to repay you?"

"Well," the younger blonde chirped with a glance to her companions, "we just talked it over and remembered there are a few seraphim we know who might want to settle nearby. Would you be alright with that?"

"Certainly, of course!" His visible surprise drew a soft giggle from Margaret who shook his hand before saying their goodbyes; they finished what they set out to do and it was time to move on. Or rather, back to Lastonbell. Just out of the village's sight, Symonne set down a teleportation arte and linked it with the Crowe's Nest, then they were off.

Both Velvet and Laphicet liked the idea as Margaret presented it. Symonne mostly left it to her partner, only chiming in with additional details about the situation and what she gleaned of this false shepherd. Admittedly, part of that was because her eyes and thoughts strayed to her boyfriend more often than not, but she thought she did well enough in keeping herself together.

"We will discuss this further," Velvet told the three once they were done, her usual smile replaced by a severe expression. "For now, we have a few other things that need to be cleared. Alisha?"

"Yes?"

"The last time the Scattered Bones went after Chancellor Bartlow, you pleaded with them to leave him alive for his great mind. Is that correct?"

The therion nodded slowly and Symonne knew she understood the implications of who this shadow guild dealt with. "I did. He may be a despicable person, but his skills are needed for the kingdom's prosperity. Did something happen?"

"You could say that." Velvet grimaced and pushed a few sheets of parchment over the table for Alisha to peruse. "From what our people in Ladylake gathered, he is getting worse." Symonne leaned over her friend's shoulder to read the report, paying the sting of Malevolence no mind. Just a quick skim already told her that Bartlow reached his final stages of megalomania just as she intended for him so long ago. It felt like an age despite having been only a few years.

Alisha's and Margaret's faces clouded further with every page, reading of smear campaigns and exploitation to the beginnings of a coup. Then, right at the bottom of the final page sat a verdict, penned in Laphicet's hand. A simple yet oh so clear suggestion: take him down. Alisha exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. "I can not overlook this," she whispered to herself, then spoke up: "As much as I despise having to agree with this, your judgement is correct." She hesitated for a moment, then uttered a phrase that drew the table's attention: "So says reason."

Becoming aware of everyone's surprise, Alisha wilted and averted her gaze. "Well, I heard Margaret say something similar and it does sound appropriate at the moment. My heart is torn, but my mind is made." Symonne relaxed with that, though she noticed her partner slump a little; she was getting more erratic, perhaps feeling ever more guilty about keeping who she once was a secret. She had yet to figure out Symonne already knew.

In an effort to distract the rest, she piped up next: "If you're running damage control in Hyland, what about the war effort?" Velvet's gaze flicked to her immediately and the wariness vanished as fast as it appeared.

"It's being delayed," she brushed off the question. "They can't really do much during Winter anyway, and we're working to keep them busy with other problems come Spring." Symonne was about to comment when something about Velvet's posture changed and she continued with deceptive calm: "On that note, I wanted to talk to you in private."

Glancing to Laphicet revealed a worried look toward his sister, which in turn worried Symonne. She could think of several reasons Velvet would want to talk to her alone, but none of them were good. Most likely it was her past and technically current allegiance. Regardless, she nodded and let herself be led away into another room; Laphi gave her a peck on the cheek in passing, which successfully eased her nerves.

They settled opposite of each other at a small table, neither yet speaking and rather gauging the other. Symonne had a long time to think yet always shied away from the grand question: where did her loyalty lie now? Could it even be called loyalty, now that she actively worked against the goals she helped work toward? What was she if not a traitor? But even then, why did she feel so little guilt about throwing away all that hard work and her lord on top of it? She did not know, but she knew what Velvet was to say before she even opened her mouth: "This is about Lord Heldalf, isn't it?"

The other woman paused, mouth clicking shut again. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It is," she confirmed needlessly. "I don't like having to do this, but people are thrown into darkness with every day that passes. You've seen some of it by now and I don't think you are the kind who likes needless suffering." Symonne nodded slowly, her gut constricting as Velvet carried on: "And we both know how this is going to end. Even if he managed to sic Maotelus on us, we would find a way. I always have." She was right, regardless of the hubris most would associate with such a statement. Velvet Crowe was a force of nature and Symonne understood that this woman would not stop until she achieved her goal.

"I hate that you're right," she admitted quietly. "I wish this was an easier choice." Choose either the first person to ever see value in her stupid blessing, who treated her more like a cherished daughter than anything else and trusted her implicitely, or all her friends and loved ones. She actually had loved ones now. Edna and Laphi, perhaps even Margaret, if in a different way than the first two.

"Nothing important in life is easy," Velvet returned sagely, reaching out to clasp Symonne's hand. "Take your time. I need you to make a choice, but take time to think."

"He's a kind man at heart, you know?" Velvet twitched, but Symonne ignored her surprise. She just continued to bare her heart: "He found me wandering one day and took me in, talked to me, even forced me to wash up and eat. He cared, still cares. It was the first time I was the slightest bit happy. He wants to be kind, but the world broke him like it tried to break you. I never much cared that his rhetoric has holes, he treated me with kindness and gave me purpose. Now...." She trailed off, vision growing blurry. Now there were others who cherished her. Symonne had believed that there was no good left in this world and accepted its end as necessary, yet the world had proven her wrong.

Velvet reached over and embraced her gently, letting Symonne continue to babble. It took her a long time to fall quiet, and longer still to make a choice.

 

[Naron]

"You seem well," he observed with a spark of satisfaction. "Taking time off has done you well." For indeed, Symonne appeared more healthy than he ever saw her before. Her skin took on more colour and she appeared more mature than child-like now. Symonne inclined her head, gaze straying away from him to their surroundings; Heldalf paid it no mind, knowing well enough that this village was long abandoned. He did not recall its name anymore however, which was a shame. Empty houses gaped at worn dirt paths and overgrown vegetation.

When the seraph girl kept her silence, he prompted her gently: "What did you wish to report?" It must be important, that he knew; Symonne would not insist on meeting face to face otherwise. She fidgeted ever so slightly, a sign of being uncomfortable that he worried about. Even with his domain drawn back in, the Malevolence he exuded could still bother her.

"Before I get to that," Symonne began a moment later, "I want to ask you something." Her expression remained carefully blank, he noticed; she stopped fidgeting and her phrasing was different to what he recalled. Yet Heldalf left it uncommented and nodded his assent, awaiting her inquiry: "Why is it that we carry out our plans so slowly? With your power, you could have corrupted the world long ago if you so wanted. You let the shepherd live, too."

It was an unexpected question right now, though he had figured she would ask eventually. Heldalf's gaze wandered skyward as he began to pace. "Putting it into words is difficult, Symonne. Ever since I forced a bond with Maotelus, there is an odd... feeling, deep down in the back of my mind. I do not know if this is natural for a bond with a seraph, but I know he shares this sensation with me." A questioning glance went to Symonne, who shook her head mutely. "I see. Regardless, ever since I began, this feeling persisted. Something unknown is hiding in the shadows, slumbering yet inspiring fear in even a Great Lord. Without having any proof or ever seeing a shred of its existence, I know for certain that acting too fast will wake whatever it is. I already favoured caution and a slow, methodical approach to transition as many people into the future alive and well as possible, but this made me absolutely certain it was the correct idea. Does that answer your question?"

Symonne mulled his words over, posture faltering in an instant. She heaved a sigh that alarmed Heldalf. "I know what it is, then," she declared without any joy about it and unable to meet his gaze. "If only you told me sooner, things may have been different. But the monster in the dark since woke and has been taking up your trail." Her revelation made dread creep into his heart; even the slumbering god he was connected with shuddered when Symonne spoke the creature's name: "Innominat has been sealed atop the heavens for a thousand years, ever since Maotelus took his position as Great Lord."

Her eyes went to the same spot by his side again and Heldalf's instincts began to scream. His own gaze went there to find nothing... and then there was a woman staring at him. Another shock went through his bond with Maotelus at the sight, but not the bone-rending fear he expected; regardless, Symonne brought her here and the stranger stood ready to strike, expression firmed into a stern mask. He had been betrayed.

Without ever taking his eyes off the clear threat, the Lord of Calamity addressed his most trusted with but one word: "Why?" Despair bubbled in his gut together with fear, then turned to anger before being pushed back. Symonne's gaze rested on the ground.

"I started to love this world," she admitted softly, fingers clenched into fists. "I can no longer accept consigning it to oblivion." After a long pause, she forced out a shuddering "I'm sorry".

Heldalf wanted to rage and shout, to tear her apart for betraying him, but he still remembered his own fall from grace. He had sworn himself to never be like those who turned him into what he was now. He always desired to be better and so he forced back the vitriol. Rather, despite the bitter taste his words would leave, he lied: "I forgive you."

Symonne shuddered and sunk to her knees, tears glistening between her fingers. The woman she brought glanced at the sobbing seraph before sizing him up again. "You're different than I expected," she decided a moment later. He had to fight not to bellow still, rather inclining his head in attempted politeness.

"I am Georg Heldalf. Who do I have the honour of speaking with?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she did not attack yet. It would happen eventually, they both knew that. "Velvet Crowe," she introduced herself curtly. "First Lord of Calamity and now goddess of darkness." He was taken aback by that, but even more so when she made her demand: "But from what I've seen, I'm going to give you a choice here: sever your bond with Maotelus and give up on spreading Malevolence. Leave this world at peace so that it can be rebuilt into something greater than it ever was!"

Symonne's sobs cut off, his former confidante just as astonished as Heldalf himself; he had been offered mercy despite Velvet Crowe's clear intentions. All he had to do was to give up his dream of a kinder world in favour of her own. He ground his teeth at that, once again tempted to berate the woman for her insolence; but Heldalf held his tongue, claws and tail tensing. Malevolence began to ooze out of his body. "I am afraid not," he declined. "I have to refuse." She nodded as if she already expected it, once again making no motion to attack despite her own tense body.

"One last thing then: tell me, why do you think birds fly?"

What an odd question to ask. He knew that there were philosophical aspects to it, but disregarded thinking about it for long. "It does not matter why, they are birds and they fly. That is all there is to it."

On the last word, he charged.

Heldalf expected Velvet to be surprised, but she leaned under of his swipe smoothly, pulling out his leg with the same motion; she was faster than even him, delivering two swift kicks that sent Heldalf flying. He steadied himself and made to land, having to deflect a blade of Malevolence moments before contact; the force in her strike tore through the village's center, leaving a gaping wound. More kicks kept Heldalf on the defensive as he found no openings to exploit before she closed them.

Velvet was like wind, ever in motion. She was like water, flowing from one stance to the next without pause. She was like fire, relentless in her assault. She was like earth, holding steady against even the strongest of blows. But more than all of that, she was darkness incarnate; the world screamed as she rent reality itself asunder, bridging any distance he took in an instant. Her might forced it all to contort, his own domain drawn away to fuel her dark artes. The soil melted and began to entangle him, forcing Heldalf to block. He took a knee to his left claw and felt it shatter just as black flames encircled him.

He managed a single step back before being held tight, barely enough to evade Velvet's haymaker; then he saw her arm contort and form into a vicious, crimson claw mid-swing; it was more than long enough to reach, a single glance at it enough to see death. Velvet screamed at him and he noticed the single scratch on her cheek in that moment. The only wound she had taken despite his power. Heldalf could not dodge and could not block, no, so rather he leaned into the strike with his own claw, hammering it into her face just as half his body was torn away. More than that, something reached into his very soul to sever the bond with Maotelus.

Velvet stumbled while he hit the ground in shock; a trickle of blood rolled down her nose and forehead, he saw in his fading vision. Heldalf nodded to himself, content with having at least landed a solid blow on the goddess. Then a flurry of red beams split space and himself apart.

Elsewhere, in a maelstrom of Malevolence that warped the very world around it, Maotelus shuddered in fitful slumber. For but a moment, he could think clearly, beheld through the eyes of another that which he never thought to see again; his very being ached to see her once more, but he already forgot who he saw. His mind was clouded, yet the aching in his seven hearts did not subside.

Flame fluttered over his curled-up body again, divine silver meaning to burn away his shackles. It sputtered out before more than a smidgen was removed. Yet despite the renewed failure, this terrible pressure on his mind was gone; the Malevolence barely grew stronger now and despite the agony, he could hold against it. Even steeped in darkness, he could rest in the confines of his heart's flame. He hoped for something he no longer remembered, certain that all would be well.

. .
. .​

Velvet breathed slow and steady, staring down at what was left of her enemy. They did not fight for long, but a large swath of land was broken and ravaged. Pursuing Heldalf left holes in reality that would take months to close up, plains were currently warped into spirals reaching for the heavens, and the like. She would have to fix that before leaving, same as the hellions her rampage created.

First of all however, Velvet devoured the pieces of Heldalf and felt his soul pass through her body; to be stripped clean of Malevolence and be returned to the world.

Next, she made the trek back to where it all started; Symonne was still there, curled into a ball and sobbing quietly for what she had done. Velvet scooped her up and held her tightly, giving the girl time to cry it all out as she whispered soft reassurances. She had loved Heldalf like a father and Velvet could see why; yet traveling with Margaret and Alisha, being with Nica, Laphicet, and Edna returned something to this seraph that she likely never knew she had: a conscience.

"I'm not sorry I did this, Symonne," she whispered once the girl calmed down somewhat. "But I am sorry that it had to be." With Heldalf dead, the Bloodwing Butterflies could get to work tearing into his agents and allies from within; his own secrecy would be his undoing as only his most trusted knew the full expanse of his supporters. Therefore, his death could be kept a secret.

"It's okay," Symonne assured her softly. "I made this choice. Thank you for giving him a chance, at least."

"It felt right." Velvet admitted, having been moved by how much humanity there still was in Georg Heldalf; she expected a monster, not a gentleman. Perhaps in other circumstances, they would have even been allies. Seeing how devastated the seraph girl was, she carded through her hair a while longer. Morbid curiousity welled up as the minutes passed. "Did you love him?"

"I don't know." Symonne hesitated before pushing out of the embrace with a lost look. "Can we go home now?"

Home, she said. Her defeated tone made Velvet's heart clench, but that one word gave her hope it would turn out well in the end. "Alright," she agreed and picked Symonne up, letting her ride piggyback; she was lighter than expected. "Let's go. I'll make you something nice to eat and we can talk a little." Symonne just hugged her from behind, completely silent. "Or would you rather be with Laphi for a bit?"

"...I don't know."

"That's alright, we can figure it out."

 

[Naron]

Laphicet, Margaret, and Alisha listened quietly as Velvet laid out what happened. Symonne wandered off on her own for a time, leaving the four of them to their own devices; her friends gave no clear signs of their feelings on the matter, but she could see that both had their fists clenched. Laphi was just worried.

"This is where we are now," she closed and summarised again: "The Lord of Calamity is dead and all his allies will be confused when no more orders come. We will use that confusion, which is where you two and Symonne come in: I want you to eradicate them wherever necessary." Margaret's eyes narrowed, but Alisha's expression fell even further in distaste; Velvet nodded at her. "I know you don't like this-" "This is an understatement" "-But we don't have the time to comb over every single one of them to see if they can be redeemed. They supported a man who wished to plunge Desolation into darkness, so they have to face the consequences of their actions. If you find any that were forced or blackmailed into the position, let them go free. Anyone else dies."

Alisha took a shuddering breath before bowing her head. Meanwhile, Margaret mulled over the plan and scrutinised Velvet curiously. "Why not do it yourself? It would go faster that way."

She began with a shake of her head. "I'm not subtle at all and my own task isn't over yet. Heldalf is dead, but it means nothing if we fail to free Maotelus in time." Both of them nodded again, already appraised of the situation; Alisha had been horrified when she learned of this matter and even now, being reminded of it made her frown diminish. Velvet continued: "We fail if his followers close rank and finish what their master started, that is what we need you for. Laphi and I are busy figuring out where Maotelus is and what needs to be done to cleanse him of the Malevolence."

Laphi frowned at that, tapping the table with a finger. "I just don't understand how he got corrupted in the first place when his blessing is the silver flame. He purified himself before, I was there." Now that he mentioned it, Velvet remembered that occurence as well. He had a point.

"Perhaps," Margaret reasoned slowly, "it is simply not possible for an Empyrean so far corrupted? That he is too powerful to cleanse the entirety of himself?" He shrugged in response, just as unaware of what went on there as Velvet.

When no one else spoke, Alisha took a deep breath to center herself, then let it out in a heavy sigh. "I loathe to admit it, but I agree that we have no time for proper conduct. If you can provide a list of people for us to purge, it shall be done." The gaze in her eyes spoke of many things left unsaid; of the trust she offered in becoming their personal reaper, killing on their command. Velvet could not help but smile.

"Thank you, Alisha."

Laphi nodded along. "We don't need to worry about this if it's in your hands and can focus. Thank you."

Margaret, whose agreement had never even been in doubt, chimed in next with worry: "...what if Sorey finds out what we're doing? He abhors killing people, for any reason." She had a point as well, Velvet found. Having Sorey stumble over this particular operation would lead to an all-out war, which would end with him dead. A thoughtful noise from Laphi dispersed the thought, though.

"Hm. I think I can get him out of the way for a month or two. We got something interesting from Pendrago recently." Seeing that he had everyone's attention, her brother smiled cheerfully and explained: "Some time ago, a fishing ship found a lone island far out from the coast. A storm washed the ship up there and they found ancient ruins, so now the scholars in Pendrago are discussing to send an expedition."

"I see where you are going with this," Alisha answered his expectant silence. "We are all aware of Sorey's love for ruin diving. Regardless, I do not think he would let himself be distracted like that. Not after what happened with Lailah."

"Perhaps not," Laphi admitted, "but we can try. He knows you and Margaret are out and about, doing good on your own. If we can convince him that nothing is about to explode, he just might. And think of the poor people with that expedition if there are any hellions on that island!" He exaggerated, but Sorey was the type to go for such an idea. Alisha nodded as well, though she frowned in distaste once again.

"It will be a few months until then either way," Velvet chimed in with a motion for the snow falling right outside the window. "They won't launch an expedition in Winter. We can spend that time cleaning up any small fry and Heldalf's more elusive allies. Anyone important can be kept where they are until we have Sorey distracted."

Her brother groaned quietly in response. "Time, always time," he muttered. "I need to keep working on this."

"No, you don't." He met her unamused gaze stoically, but folded the moment Velvet raised an eyebrow. "You already worked a lot and need a break. Go talk to Symonne."

"Alright." He rose immediately and made to look for his girlfriend, leaving behind the three women to share smiles over his behaviour.

For Laphicet, finding Symonne was not difficult anymore; he knew she liked to brood near bodies of water, preferably where nobody would bother her. So he teleported himself to Hexen Isle, where she stared out onto the endless sea while basked in orange light. The deliberate crunching of his steps garnered no reaction, but she did not turn away from him either; Laphicet sunk to the ground and gently pulled her against his side. Symonne's head came to rest on his shoulder, eyes puffy.

"It's odd," she told him blankly, "I don't want to be around people, but I don't want to be alone either." Rubbing her cheek on his shoulder, she remained there; Laphicet squeezed her once, then picked her up and deposited her in his lap to embrace from behind.

"Then I will just stay here and shut up. Talk to me when you're ready."

He could not see Symonne's face, but he just knew she was smiling. She leaned back and relaxed a little, staring forward in quiet contemplation. Sometimes she sniffled or shed a few tears, but never spoke; Laphicet knew this kind of wound would take a while to close and far longer to heal, if it ever did.

Night had fallen on Hexen Isle when Symonne spoke up, lacking her usual pep: "I'm a little tempted to have you kiss me silly, until I forget this whole mess for a bit. Maybe even a little more than that. Or maybe I can just try getting blackout drunk like I saw some humans do. But I know it won't make the pain go away." Laphicet almost responded, but decided not to; he did not dislike her first idea, but now did not feel like the right time for fooling around. He pecked her neck gently and leaned his chin on her shoulder to give his opinion, earning a weak giggle in response. "Thank you for being here. I wish Edna was here, too."

"That would be nice," he agreed. The two of them together might do better in comforting Symonne; then again, Edna suffered personally under Heldalf and lost Lailah to him, so he quietly appreciated her absence.

. .
. .​

"She's still looking over here."

"Well, of course she is. No other old lady flies so high!"

Magilou cackled quietly and paid no mind to Alisha's befuddled stare. The therion was seated with Margaret at a table some paces away, though their conversation kept being sidetracked. Velvet gave the younger girls a pointed look until they both went back to discussing how to proceed, then rolled her eyes at Magilou. "I have a feeling she hadn't worked out that you only play the forgetful grandma."

"That as well, though I technically am a grandmother."

"And who was insane enough to put a child in you?"

"Hey now, that's rude!"

Velvet snorted and ignored her friend's mock indignation. "Also true, though. Just... please tell me it wasn't Rokurou. I don't even want to imagine the chaos a child from the two of you would create." Magilou just grinned and refrained from commenting; at first Velvet took this as an admission, but then she realised the other woman was playing around again and turned away with a huff. Desolation appeared so small from atop Innominat's grand structure that she could not help but marvel time and again.

"I didn't thank you for working on Symonne yet, did I?" Velvet allowed herself a smile, but kept watching the planet beneath instead of Magilou. "She gave up Heldalf's secrets and lured him to me just earlier today. We have a chance to free Phi now."

"All's well that ends well," the elder agreed cheerfully, though she nudged Velvet's shoulder with her walking cane right after. "Though I doubt she is well right now."

Velvet sighed in response. "She isn't and won't be for a long time, but I think she will get better. Laphi is with her right now. She's good for him, and he for her, so I have to thank you for that, too."

"My, just the two of them? I wonder what they could be up to right now...." Magilou trailed off with a teasing grin, her intent clear. Velvet ignored it entirely in favour of deadpanning at her.

"Likely one is crying and the other trying to comfort her."

"You're no fun." When Velvet ignored her complaint as well, Magilou rolled her eyes and leaned back. "Oh well, no matter. So Symonne came through in the end? I gave Edna a little nudge so she had a chance, but it seems that wasn't enough."

"Oh, it was enough alright," she countered her old friend with a grin, finally meeting the other woman's curious gaze again. "The three of them are an item. We just sent Edna off to Elysia about a week ago, so she isn't around."

"Huh. Surprising, but not unwelcome. They are all starved for genuine relationships, in one way or another." Magilou nodded sagely to herself. "Symonne and Edna had no one until recently, while your baby brother had only you and Artorius for all his life."

Velvet nodded, though she felt obligated to interject: "Edna had Eizen." She was given a raised eyebrow and inclined her head in agreement. "Yeah, he wasn't around, but still." Feeling uncomfortable for having brought it up, she changed the subject: "Speaking of, Laphi worked out a method that might work for purifying a dragon, but it takes three Empyreans to pull off." Seeing that she had Magilou's undivided attention, Velvet elaborated: "First we need myself to draw out as much Malevolence from the dragon as possible, then Innominat to suppress its raging emotions somewhat so the personality beneath can claim control, and then Maotelus to cleanse the dragon in that exact moment."

Of course they could not test it yet, but Velvet saw the wisdom in her brother's theory. Apparently, Magilou did as well. "Impressive," she agreed. "Tell me the details."

The younger woman grimaced, but did as asked. The moment her old friend began to make further inquiries beyond what Laphi told her however, she had to shake her head. "Sorry, I'm still trying to wrap my head around a lot of it."

"You have an Empyrean's mind and still need time to get stuff like this? For shame, young lady. You should study more!" Magilou's mock stern look was met with incredulity, at which point she dropped it in favour of a chuckle. "But that aside, I get most of it. Laphicet will have to explain the theory.

"So you're a nerd, got it," Velvet deadpanned, satisfied to see her friend grimace when the barb registered.

"I am an alpha nerd, thank you very much!" Magilou fell quiet after that and mulled something over; Velvet gave her the time and waited until she continued on her own: "Now, I notice that this entire plan hinges on Maotelus being retrieved safely."

"Nothing we can do about it. The silver flame is necessary for it to work. Besides, this is a proof of concept; if we can restore one dragon, we can restore others if need be." It was a weak reason and they both knew it; Magilou thankfully did not point out how this was done for Eizen in particular. Instead, she produced a gently shining arte square above her palm; the spell completed moments later, letting a silvery flame burst forth and burn silently.

"Quite," she agreed with the astonished Velvet. "Then how about I help you with that?"

She could not help but stare at the impossibility before her. "You're... a shepherd?"

"Psh, no! Magilou Mayvin, a shepherd? Please, sweetie, be real." She left a pause to be dramatic, clenching her fist to extinguish the flame. "I analysed Maotelus' blessing and created an arte to replicate it."

"...that's possible? Why didn't you say something?"

Magilou rolled her eyes at that, resting her chin on steepled hands. "Maotelus and I had a deal about this, kinda. Just think, Velvet: if it's possible to replicate a malakh's blessing, and something as potent as the silver flame at that, this is proof positive that others can also be replicated. If I told or taught others, what would they do? What could they do? The Reaper's Curse, Innominat's suppression, Symonne's illusions. Others could wield any of them and any other dangerous or destructive blessing they can find."

She had a point, but it sounded far too negative for Velvet's liking. "On the other hand," she retorted after mulling it over, "it could also be used to copy any positive blessing."

"Oh please, sweetie. You know how humans are, and no malakh has the drive to figure out an arte that complicated. Besides, who would want to let others use their own unique power in the first place?" Her reasoning remained sound; Velvet figured that a lot of thought had gone into the matter. When she inclined her head, Magilou offered her a small grin. "That aside, a few select individuals do know about it. I created the Firekeeper's Oath based on it, to grant a seraph access to the silver flame as if it were their own blessing."

"That was you?"

"Indeed it was me! Who else but the wicked witch Magilou?" This time Velvet sighed, which drew a chuckle from the other woman. She could not help but smile herself a moment later.

"Would you teach Laphi?" When the question did not draw an immediate refusal, Velvet elaborated: "The fact aside that he could figure out how to transfer his resonance-boosting blessing into an arte, we need it now. Of course no one but you and us will learn of it."

"I don't dislike the idea, truly I don't. Odd how life changes at times. Another student." Magilou, paused before throwing Velvet a grin. "Is he a good boy like Laphicet?"

Velvet huffed over the jab. "That one rebellious phase aside, he is." Her friend laughed heartily in response. However, this entire subject matter impressed another idea upon Velvet. "We could go and purify Eizen right now," she suggested with a nod toward Magilou; the witch nodded sagely.

"That we could, but he would leave the moment he's back."

She did not even need to agree with Magilou; they both knew it was the case with Edna so close. "That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," she admitted. "When Lailah turned, she became a white-horned dragon. You remember what that means, right?"

"As if I could ever forget." All levity was gone now, both women painfully aware of the difficult choices that awaited. Unconciously, Minkkubi curled a little tighter about the slumbering dragon in her grasp. "Alas, nothing important in life is ever easy. We have to sort Lailah's fate out sooner or later... but for now, I agree that we should get Eizen back now. His will is great, but even he will break eventually."

"I'll say. That madman has been fighting so long already that he deserves a break." Velvet hesitated there, a sudden idea popping into her head. She glanced toward Margaret and Alisha, who were still absorbed in a map. "Think those two and Symonne would like another friend along?"

Her suggestion drew a snort which became laughter moments later. "Oh my, Eizen among those three? I would pay money to see this! Tell your baby brother to prepare, I was bored anyway!"

 

[Naron]

"It will be a while, so you can take some time to see more of Rolance first," Laphicet reassured Sorey. "The expedition's ship will lie in port Anselm, straight west from Pendrago at the coast."

Dezel listened with a certain sense of curiousity, but no real motivation to follow that lure the boy set out. Going by what he learned of Sorey however, their de-facto leader was intrigued by Laphicet's spiel about ancient ruins on a forgotten island. Rose chimed in asking for details and artifacts, likely to see if they might find anything to sell for profit. Mikleo listened just like Dezel did, Zaveid and Edna had both vanished the moment they arrived, though the latter stopped to exchange a chaste kiss with Laphicet. An odd couple, but not his business.

They needed two weeks to return ever since leaving Elysia; while Sorey was still rough around the edges, he learned quickly how to utilise the winds. As his element was not needed at the moment, Dezel took in the room's long since familiar design instead. He may not see like others, but his winds had their own perks; he knew Edna returned before she even opened the door in the back. The girl she held hands with was a surprise, though; he measured her, finding the shape oddly familiar yet subtly off from who he was looking for. Admittedly, so was Edna; they had a similar build.

"Laphi," a chipper voice interrupted the discussion Dezel since tuned out, silencing everyone. "Velvet says she needs you in the back."

"I see. I'll have to take my leave then." The boy rose with an almost unnatural grace and shook hands with Sorey. "Please do consider it. I'd love to go myself, but I don't have the opportunity." That was a bald-faced lie, but only Dezel and Rose knew. He understood that they wanted to distract Sorey from something else.

"I will, thanks for telling me."

"Wow, Symonne. I like the new look!" Dezel's finger twitched when he heard the name, but the cheery response was so unlike the dead monotone he remembered that he refused to believe it was her. A coincidence, most likely; people could share names.

"Thank you! It took me a while to get just right! Even gets my sweet Edna grabby!"

"Does not."

"Does too!"

The two petite girls stared at each other while the men wisely stayed out of their standoff. Dezel studied this Symonne's getup for a moment, though Rose snapped her fingers a moment later. "Right, you can't really see it. Look, she's got this long, light grey dress that goes down to her calves with lovely golden trims. The sleeves go all the way to her wrists too, so it would be super modest... well, except for the neckline, her boobs are almost spilling out."

"Yup." The other seraph did a quick twirl that made her dress fly, then curtsied at everyone. "I based it off something I used to wear and now felt like a good time to switch wardrobes. The only thing I really kept are the boots." She presented heavy, likely white boots. Dezel also noted some kind of socks, but did not explore further up her legs; that would be rude.

Regardless, the wind seraph could not help but throw an unseeing stare at Rose. "I noticed all that," he deadpanned. He still felt that he had the right person in front of him even then, having to forcefully unclench his hands. Thankfully, Rose ignored him in favour of discussing Symonne's cleavage; for some odd reason, the seraph girl decided to push up her modest bust. Whatever appeal it had was lost on Dezel, who could not be tricked by optical illusions.

He just shook his head, turning around to leave at that point; Mikleo and Sorey wordlessly fell into step with him. Dezel doubted they were agitated like he was for some reason, but he would not refuse the company.

Left behind, Symonne cast a glance at the retreating seraph's back and tried not to frown. Instead, she pulled Edna against her side and threw a sly grin to Rose. "Honestly, I just want to look pretty for my lovelies. Maybe I'll drop this getup entirely if I get tired of it in a week, but going a bit more prim and proper than before isn't bad. Now shoo, your friends are leaving and I-" she got that far before Edna covered her mouth.

"No more innuendo," she demanded flatly, much to Symonne's disappointment. Considering that her girlfriend's other hand took to wandering behind her back however, she appreciated the do-over.

For her part, Rose giggled and waved goodbye. "Fair enough. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, girls!" And with that, she ran off to leave the two alone. Symonne's smile dropped the moment she was out the door. Edna wordlessly pulled her out of the taproom and back into the cozy quiet of the living room they vacated earlier.

"You're not good to be around people yet," the earth seraph remarked as she sat Symonne down. "But was there something with Dezel? You kept sneaking glances at him."

Symonne did not really want to talk about the many atrocities she committed, but felt she owed Edna at least something for her peace of mind. She flopped down to rest her head on her girlfriend's bare thighs. "I ruined his life at one point," Symonne muttered morosely. "He and Rose used to be part of a famous mercenary group that I brought down a few years back." They both knew on whose order; Edna hesitated for a moment, but then she began to card through Symonne's hair as she spoke: "And I know he recognised me. My illusions barely work on him, so he found me back then. I was so sure he'd start fighting, but for some reason he didn't."

"You changed a lot this last year," Edna argued softly. "Maybe he didn't recognise you."

"He did, I'm certain."

Edna hummed and continued to caress Symonne's head; the sensation calmed her as she continued to babble: "I think it's that his anger calmed down over the years. Maybe he didn't want to recognise me, is what I think. So that he can keep moving forward instead of always looking back. He's lying to himself either way, but I'd be happy if it were like that."

"How so?"

"Because he'd die if he tried to take my life. If Laphi didn't kill him, then Velvet definitely would." The hands paused in their ministrations, but Symonne knew that Edna understood. Regardless of how much warmth those two siblings exuded normally, they were fiercely protective of everyone dear to them. Perhaps if she explained that to Heldalf, it would have changed things. Feeling her gut clench, Symonne sighed into Edna's soft thigh. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Can we go back to who of us is more lewd?"

"You, no contest."

"Big contest!" she argued coyly, one finger poking her girlfriend's bare leg. "I might show cleavage, but you're one stumble or a strong gust of air away from flashing everyone. And you're not half as grounded as you pretend you are. Could it be you want others to get an eyeful?" Edna fidgeted and Symonne knew that had she looked up, she would have seen a luminescent blush.

"I just like it," she muttered quietly. "I'm not a pervert."

Symonne gently reached up and rubbed her shoulder. "There there," she soothed, "you're not immediately a pervert for wearing something that's not completely prim and proper. Besides, you shouldn't let what other people think dictate who you are and what you do. If you want to wear a short skirt, you wear a short skirt. If you want to go nude, you go nude."

"So you want to let everyone take a look down your cleavage?"

"No, just you and Laphi." She managed to find Edna's cheek and stroked it without ever looking up; the other girl leaned into her touch, revealing the heat flaring through her face. "I'm probably going to close it up when neither of you is around."

"Good." Edna hesitated, but then shifted until she could pull Symonne upward to sit in her lap. "I may not be the dragon in this relationship, but I don't want others to look at you." She then kissed Symonne possessively, who could not help but smile and kiss her back.

. .
. .​

Just a day later, minutes after Sorey and company left for Pendrago, a most unusual procession made their trek along Rayfalke-Spiritcrest. A weary, old witch constantly complained about her back and old bones, but was consistently ignored by the gods and Normin. Only the sole other human took heart and attempted to help by steadying Magilou Mayvin, but was shooed away the moment she tried.

"She only does it for show," Velvet advised Margaret, "just ignore her."

"I see." The teen mulled this over for a moment before sighing softly. "It still galls me, in a way. Though I still do not understand why I am allowed to witness this miracle, either." Velvet shrugged in response and pointed to Magilou, who had insisted Margaret accompany them. The elder merely grinned. From this moment onward, a heavy silence hang in the air; they all knew what was to happen. This day, the gods would declare there existence and their might to the world. They would prove once and for all that nothing was beyond one's ability to achieve if only they wanted to work for it; this day, they would do the impossible.

They took a short break right before Eizen's nest, the slumbering dragon already in sight. Velvet pretended it was to go over the plan one last time, but they all knew she was looking out for Magilou. Laphicet curiously settled next to the elder who muttered about being too old for journeys like this. "You mentioned that you can rejuvenate your body. Why haven't you done it yet? Being young again would be a great boon, right?" His questions drew Margaret's attention immediately, though any follow-ups were delayed by Magilou's chuckle.

"Because reason says so, eh? No, no. I could rejuvenate anytime, anyday. It would be objectively better if I did, but you know what? I like playing the wizened elder and I want to do it a little longer." All but Margaret remembered her senile-appearing behaviour and knew what she actually meant; Magilou simply grinned toothily. "It's not reasonable, but it is what I want."

"Pardon," Margaret interjected quietly into the ensuing silence, staring at Magilou with unabashed curiousity. "I assume you use an arte for this... rejuvenation?" The elder nodded. "Could this arte be taught?"

"...ah. No, my dear. It can not." Both Crowes were listening as well now, never having considered to ask. "Maybe it can be improved beyond what I created, but it is an arte solely for me. It integrates in my body's structure, so any like it would need to be fitted to a given person. The human body is too complex and too varied to be conquered with but one arte." She huffed and tapped Bienfu's gaudy hat for emphasis. "Not to mention that you need to either draw mana from an earthpulse or have two Normin to cast the arte."

Magilou then studied the Malevolence-coated sky. "Perhaps once Maotelus is free," she mused, paying no mind to Laphicet giving his sister some last-minute instructions on how to best draw darkness from a dragon. "It seems we're about ready to get going. You will keep me safe from any stray attacks, won't you, sweetie?"

"Of course."

"That's a good girl." She gave Margaret a pat on the head as she rose to her feet. "Not that there will be much of a fight. No dragon can stand against the might of two Empyreans."

"Then again," Velvet countered, "this is Eizen." The dragon had woken and watched them, slitted eyes completely focussed on them. Though his head still rested on the ground and his front legs were folded, he was clearly tense. This tension thankfully subsided when Velvet's domain and thus her blessing washed over the entire area.

"Too true. Maybe your little trick will keep him docile."

Velvet did not grace that with an answer and stepped forward alone, leaving everyone else to watch. Eizen rose to peer at them, but his attention clearly lay on the woman in front. His head lowered as she neared, followed by a rumbling "Vel-vet". She smiled ever so gently, reaching out; he loomed closer, allowing her to touch his scaly head.

"It's alright, Eizen," she soothed the beast. Her caresses, her affection made Eizen's eyes fall shut.

"Is. It. Over?" he asked, almost hopeful in a way that tugged at her heart. Margaret watched with a hand clasped over her mouth, needing Magilou to drag her aside and away.

"For a time, yes. Hold still for us? For me and Laphi and Magilou."

His eyes snapped open at once and turned to where Laphicet stood, narrowing. "In-No-" -"hush now, none of that." Eizen glared at Velvet, having recognised the golden monster in an instant. His thoughts were clear enough to recall seeing him recently, too, but not when or why. Eizen relaxed again, slumping down bodily; the impact and his latent powers sent a small earthquake through the mountains, setting off rockslides and making Bienfu stumble. "End. Me." he growled in resignation. Velvet shook her head.

"Just hold still."

Eizen twitched in response, clearly agitated, but he did as she asked him to. The young goddess willed her arm to change shape into a vicious claw; at the same time, Laphicet began to weave an arte. Golden light shone into the heavens while Magilou and Margaret took position at the side; the elder beginning to craft a silvery arte of her own. Eizen watched it all, his tail flicking back and forth in erratic fits.

Velvet took a deep breath to focus; she could kill him quickly from where she stood, were that her goal. Stepping forward, she ran her human hand over the dragon's flank, felt for the Malevolence surging beneath; it was plentiful and the sensation became ever stronger as she neared his center. The darkness surged with every beat of his powerful heart, pumping Malevolence like blood. The fact Eizen still retained some of his memories and the ability to think was a miracle.

"Quick. Now!" Eizen ground out while she walked back and forth; he shuddered, the steady heartbeat quickening under her fingertips.

"Don't worry." Velvet chose a spot close to his heart as she soothed the dragon. "It will be alright." He tensed when the tips of her claw pressed against his hide, but there was no pain. Hundreds of teeth unsheathed themselves on reflex within her palm, but Velvet kept herself in check. Each digit was aligned with Eizen's scales. "Laphi? Magilou?" She did not avert her gaze from the being in front of her; Eizen watched their actions with a mixture of anticipation and curiousity, his long neck bent so he could see Velvet. Her brother and friend both confirmed they were ready, drawing the dragon's attention for a moment.

This was when she pulled back and struck, slamming all five clawed fingers into his thick hide. Eizen screeched as the force of her strike pushed him back half a metre, transitioning into a roar. He tried to stand and shake her off, but Velvet simply hovered along; her teeth ground as they could not tear away any more than the outer scales, but she endured the instinctual hunger and began to pull instead. Malevolence came flowing down her gullet like a river, devoured just as quickly as it arrived. From this added power, she created chains of darkness to direct with her free hand and feet; Eizen spread his wings in an attempt to flee, but the chains bound them in place before he could.

His neck and body were tied to the ground, but even her overwhelming power could not seal his nature; the mountain shook as the earth dragon fought, pillars of rock erupting all around her but shattering upon impact. The legendary bringer of the end roared challenges toward the goddess of darkness, but was found wanting. Velvet remained focussed, pulling more and more Malevolence out of her old friend; as Minkkubi, she could devour it faster than Eizen produced it. Less and less coursed through his body with every second. The earth rumbled beneath and fell away, but they just hang in the air by Velvet's chains instead, slowly lowering themselves to follow the collapsing mountain. She could not tell how long it took for the dragon to grow sluggish, but eventually felt something beside the darkness; Eizen's original soul yet remained within the dragon's core. Velvet raised her free hand. "Laphi! Now!"

The golden light grew brighter in response, five more circles joining the first; one below Laphicet, one above him, and one to each side in a triangle. He began his chant once they were all aligned in front: "Oh being of darkness, heed my call! Thy reign of terror hath ended, thou shall be freed, thy shackles fall! Rejoice, for thy wounds shall be mended, rejoice and submit, submit soul and heart alike!"

Circle by circle faded from view, only to reappear around Eizen; Innominat's power stood meaningless against Minkkubi, but even she could feel it tear at her momentarily before sinking into Eizen. Laphicet's light pierced through the veil of darkness and reached the remains of Eizen's soul. The dragon roared louder than before, furiously bucking against her chains. Distant mountaintops exploded and sank away in her peripheral vision, but Velvet did not give. The weakening dragon could not keep up his thrashing, his soul slowly enveloped in gold.

"Vel-Vet... why?"

Eizen's question received no response, for their souls were aligned in this moment; she knew how betrayed he felt, how angry and scared. Yet even then, his heart lifted when she answered with love and hope. "Shh," she soothed again. "Trust me, just once more."

She looked up to meet his gaze evenly and the world held its breath for an instant.

Then Eizen closed his eyes, his body falling slack. The suppression completed, separating soul and darkness just as they hoped it would. Velvet's heart hammered in her chest as she roared for her friend: "Magilou!" No more than a cackle answered her. Glancing over to where one of her brother's artes kept Magilou and Margaret afloat in mid-air, she saw the elder grin; Bienfu and Grimoirh flanked her, channeling power into the singular arte circle she held ready. Their eyes met briefly and Velvet nodded, only to be enveloped in divine silver flame.

They burned her, greedily licking at Velvet's exposed skin, at her hair, at her claw. She was a being made of Malevolence, now wreathed in pain as the sacred fire aimed to cleanse it all. Not even having her heart pierced by Artorius' blade compared, every second feeling like minutes.

Yet with each second, the docile dragon's scales were burned away. The dragon himself was burned away, revealing his remaining soul draped in gold. Several pieces fitted themselves back in as she watched, the creature around it shrinking ever further. She ceased drawing Malevolence out of him and let the flame take over; Laphicet dropped his suppression by the time the dragon was twice Velvet's size. It kept shrinking regardless, bathed in the flames of purification. Her chains were burned away and they descended further, the sibling gods' power seeing them safely settle on the ground as the fire faded.

Shaking off silvery sparks, Velvet smiled down at the man kneeling in front of her. He was breathing evenly and completely naked for the time being. When his sharp eyes opened to take her in however, she felt her heart leap. "Welcome back, Eizen."

She had longed to speak those words; now, finally, they had become true. He rose to the height she remembered, standing taller than Velvet herself. Broad-shouldered, soon cloaked in mana that formed a rugged, dark suit over an orange shirt. His ochre hair and sharp features, it was all the same, even that roguish grin of his. "I should have known you would find a way," he greeted her in turn, voice raw. "But we both know it won't last."

"I know. Rather a dragon than eternity with the Reaper's Curse. We are looking into that."

They held each other's gaze for a long moment, but were interrupted when Laphi chimed in from the side: "That aside, some respite from this existence should be good for you. How do you feel?"

The reminder of his presence earned a glower from Eizen, who then glanced to Velvet. "Weird to see you both together after what happened before."

She shrugged, rather drawing him into an embrace before responding. "He got a good spanking after that rebellious phase, so we put it behind us." His laughter vibrated through her from how close they were.

"Please stop trivialising this in my presence. I want to slap you each time you do." They separated and turned to Margaret, who had closed the distance together with Magilou and was scowling at Velvet. "That aside, perhaps you should take a look around."

She did as told, only to realise with a start that the devastation wrought was greater than she noticed. "Um." Rayfalke Spiritcrest was gone for the most part. Eizen's might leveled the mountain range, leaving but a few distant peaks in place; they reached into the sky like skeletal fingers, surrounding a barren plain. "Oops?"

"Yes, 'oops'." Margaret pinched the bridge of her nose in clear annoyance, but let the matter drop in favour of introductions. She offered a bow to Eizen. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Margaret."

"Eizen." He appeared somewhat amused by her proper conduct, but did not comment; his eyes rather went to the elder grinning at them. "Did I hear right earlier? Magilou?" The grin widened. "You're still alive? How long has it been?"

"A thousand years now," she disclosed cheerfully, placing a wrinkly hand over her heart. "Now we only need Rokurou to come out of the woodwork and the old guard is almost back together." Both Velvet and Eizen shared her smile for a moment, though it did not last.

"We still need to free Phi," Velvet reminded her friend somberly, "and there is no sign of Eleanor. It wouldn't be the same." Then, with a glance at Eizen, she added a quiet: "I'll explain later." He nodded and returned to studying Margaret, who stood a little awkwardly among them; by the way his eyes narrowed, he noticed something familiar. Her stance was little different from Artorius, always on guard, ever vigilant. She had grown up a little more, still short in comparison to Velvet and Eizen but certainly as fit as either of them. Yet her very presence presented a conundrum that made Velvet eye Magilou. "And now out with it, why did you insist on bringing Maggie?"

"I concur," her erstwhile student added curtly. "It is a great honour to become witness of this miracle, but you impressed how delicate a matter it is. Am I truly that trusted?" Despite being who she was, she did not say; Velvet could read it out of her tone and posture just fine.

Magilou snorted at them, straightening her back somewhat but failing to stand at Margaret's size. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked with a soft chuckle before motioning for Eizen. "I wanted you here to see for yourself that the world can and will change. There is no limit that can not be broken by dedicated effort and determination. I still stand alive after a thousand years and a dragon was returned to being who he once was. So take heart, child, and stride into the future."

"I see."

Margaret's voice was blank as she and both Crowes understood Magilou's meaning quite clearly; to prevent another disaster like the fall of Artorius. Despite the clear manipulation however, they all knew it had worked. Margaret shook her head with a sigh, then turned to Eizen. "Regardless, I would like to bond with you." He had been watching the whole proceedings curiously, but her sudden proposal surprised the reaper. Velvet and Laphicet, too. Magilou merely smiled, as did the Normin by her side.

Eizen's eyes narrowed once more, although he did not refuse her outright. Rather, he crossed his arms. "You know who I am?" A nod. "Then perhaps the others didn't tell you everything. I am forever bound by the Reaper's Curse, to bring misfortune upon all who walk by my side. If you seek to bond with me, I doubt you will live another five years." He waited for a horrified reaction or Margaret taking back her proposal, but was surprised when she simply nodded; ignoring Velvet's snort and Laphicet's laughter, he studied Margaret more intently. "Besides, I like to walk my own path." The young woman inclined her head.

"I understand and yet I ask this of you. To walk with me for a time, lend me your power, and strike me down should I lose my way again. My current partner, as dear as she is to me, would not have the heart to do it." Her gaze never wavered from his own until he glanced at the people surrounding them. Margaret took a deep breath before offering her hand and creating a bonding arte circle between them. Her voice rose in volume but never lost its clarity: "I am Margaret Randgriz, inheritor of the soul, the will, and the sins of Artorius Collbrande. Despite all their reassurances, I deny that rebirth absolves me of the past; even if it did, I would still wish to make amends. To bring light and fortune to the people of Desolation, cast back the darkness, and truly earn the title of shepherd this time around. This I ask of you: lend me your power until such a time that I can ask for Maotelus to do the same."

All but Margaret and Eizen himself laughed about the flabbergasted expression on his face. Moments passed in consideration before he nodded, placing his own hand on the circle. "I am Eizen," he returned her words, "whom they call the Reaper. To walk with me is to walk with a near and eventual death. I accept you as my vessel, for now. Should you lose hope in humanity again, stray from your path, I will end you. My true name, thusly, is Uzfmiwuw Uexuv."

His true name began the bonding in earnest; Margaret could feel the moment his mana joined hers, flowed through her body in a way much different from Symonne's. Eizen lost corporeality to join his essence, settling deep within the young woman. For a moment, her flesh felt like stone and the very earth resonated under her will. Then it passed, only for Eizen to reappear by their side. He was met with smiles and gratitude.

Wordlessly, woman and seraph shook hands on their new partnership.

 

[Naron]

Odd times befell Hyaci Maltran; the brewing war she had expected, seeing how her careful machinations escalated hostilities. The lack of orders from her lord in this crucial time, she had not. Heldalf was usually quite punctual in his response, which worried her. The letter she penned should have been answered by now, but he kept his silence to all of his agents in Ladylake. Moreover, the local seraphim were up to something she had yet to discover the purpose of.

Hyaci sat in a complicated position; trusted beyond any doubt at court, but in need to carefully remain distant of conflicting situations. Yet she had to investigate the lack of orders and the seraphims' actions, all while having but a handful of people trustworthy and capable of doing so discreetly. Calloused fingers tapped a slow rhythm on her desk as she pondered the conundrum, which was when the soft flap of wingbeats caught her attention. An oversized eagle landed moments later, clouded in a thin layer of inky Malevolence.

"About time," Hyaci murmured as she turned to the messenger; her worry hardly had time to dissipate before it returned with a vengeance, though: the bird shook its head when she reached for its leg, but presented it anyway. With her own letter still attached. The messengers were intelligent and faithful, but this particular event meant... "You can not find him?"

The bird nodded slowly and hung its head, cooing softly when Hyaci administered gentle scritches. "Do not falter, you did well," she soothed even as her mind raced. He might be overseeing something vital in person; she knew the messengers could not reach Camlann or Artorius' Throne near it, which was where she suspected her lord. Yet at the same time, Symonne had not reported in for months; her own agents reported the seraph girl traveling with other people recently.

Hyaci had been a slight bit suspicious of Symonne and her goals for quite some time, but especially so for the past year; something changed with that one. This, she needed to investigate as well. "I need your services in an hour or two," she told the messenger, who fluttered its wings in agreement. Perhaps even in determination to make up for the previous failure. Hyaci immediately began to pen letters to the other agents she knew of. Until Heldalf returned, Hyaci simply had to work harder; her faith in the fact he would return was unwavering. And once the new world order was established, she would be crowned queen.

. .
. .​

"I see. Times sure are interesting."

Eizen regarded the people around him with a half-grin, though Velvet clearly noticed how it faded when he came to Laphi. It would get better over time, or at least she hoped it would. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Not right now," Velvet answered nonchalantly, though she knew a few things they had to cover soon. "Let's get back home for now." Then she hesitated at the reminder that the mountain was gone. "Laphi, where is the gate?"

"That way," he pointed helpfully, although with a hint of trepidation. "But it's a delicate arte, so I don't know if it survived the sudden shift in position." He led the way without hesitation and everyone filed in behind him; Laphi had been mostly quiet until this point, clearly uncomfortable around Eizen. Velvet could not tell if it was because of Edna or Eizen's own dislike of him, but he apparently got over it and chattered along: "Oh, and do tell me what kind of catalyst you want."

Margaret threw him an incredulous look for that. "We just bonded," she reminded Laphi. "Armatisation is a long way off."

"Aye, the trust it takes to do so takes a long while to build."

"It's good to see you both in agreement, but I disagree that you shouldn't have a catalyst now." Laphi turned to floating backward so he could face human and seraph. "Even if you can't use it yet, it's better to have one ready than to lack it when you need it. Not to mention, Margaret, you and Symonne pulled it off within a month of knowing each other."

"A fluke, nothing more," the girl muttered abashed. Eizen gave a thoughtful noise, but did not comment further. Margaret's eyes narrowed and she threw her friend an accusing look. "You just want to build more catalysts, don't you?"

Laphi smiled at her cheerfully. "Guilty as charged," he admitted without remorse. "It's just so much fun to lay intricate spellwork like this in various objects. So, any particular things you'd like? I heard Sorey's earth-catalyst is a gauntlet and I remember that you're focussed on martial arts or something, right?"

"Aye." Eizen raised one hand for emphasis. "My body is the only weapon I can use safely. My curse has a habit of breaking anything else at the worst time." He studied Margaret by his side for a moment, then reached out to take her hand and look it over; Velvet noticed him pause over the clear callouses that spoke of dedicated practice. "How about a pair of gloves?" he then suggested. "Fingerless, probably. If you can make them sturdy, they'd add some additional protection for Margaret's hands as well."

The young woman had been squirming a little, but allowed her hand to be scrutinised that closely; she quickly agreed with the proposal once he let go, though. Laphi then took her and Magilou ahead through the gate, leaving behind the older Crowe and the reaper. Velvet stopped her old friend from following the others. "One more thing," she began, then paused. "Actually, several."

"Oh?" He stopped and turned to face her, waiting expectantly. Considering how to start for a moment, Velvet began to grin.

"You remember what Margaret told you earlier?" she then queried, only to receive a nod. "Well, she isn't the only one who came back. I found an old friend of yours some time ago. He was just like people described him whenever we asked." Her grin widened when Eizen's eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly. "Van Aifread is back."

The reaction was immediate; at first Eizen went slack, but then his resting grim expression was replaced by an almost beaming smile. "He is?" The seraph grabbed her shoulders in exuberance, surprising Velvet a little. "Then I need to go there soon!"

"Say no more, of course you will." She could not help but chuckle. "You and Zaveid are similar in some things, you know?" He joined in with a snort, but left it at that; Velvet sighed at the silent motion to continue, knowing that this was the easiest part. "Next is Edna." At once, the mirth faded and Eizen's grasp grew far more tight. "She's fine," Velvet added before he could start to panic, "but you will see her, even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming. Don't give me that look, she's a sweet girl and deserves the chance."

Any lesser person would have tried to take distance from the mighty scowl Eizen now leveled at her. Velvet merely stared back, just as resolute. "For two," she continued, "she is seeing someone."

"What?!"

While Velvet had expected a violent reaction, she was not prepared to be let go, only for a gloved hand to grab her by the collar. She stared askance as the reaper glared at her from up-close. "Who is it?" he growled. "Tell me right this instant! I'll kill him and spread the pieces all over the continent!" Velvet's unamused look yielded no reaction, he simply waited for her to reveal the culprit.

"Eizen?"

"Nothing, Velvet. Who. Is. It?"

"You're trying to threaten a goddess."

"Your point?"

Velvet sighed, realising she should have seen that coming. "Why am I even surprised," she muttered, "I'd probably act similar in your place." Then however, she grabbed his hand and dislodged it forcefully, tearing off her tunic's collar. "Anyway, there will be no killing and no spreading pieces like some kind of barbarian. The only who'd get killed is you either way; you can't beat Laphi, no matter how hard you try."

Eizen stood stock still for a moment before his incredulous expression became furious instead. He made to go for the portal, but Velvet kept him in place by his hand. "Let go," he ordered, but she did not heed him. "I don't care who he is, he lays a hand on my sister, he dies. And Innominat at that, he probably-" "Don't."

The sudden edge in Velvet's voice shut him up, instinct overriding even Eizen's anger. She slowly leaned closer, holding his burning gaze with her own. "Do not, ever, talk about my brother as if he'd take advantage of a girl. Do not, ever, talk about him as if he'd suppress her to become his toy." She left a pregnant pause, squeezing Eizen's hand hard for emphasis. Then she hissed at him: "And for that matter, stop with the hypocrisy. Edna is all grown-up, strong, and smart. She chose Laphi and that makes whatever they get up to none of your business."

"That's not the point," Eizen growled back, agitated once more. Velvet raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, it isn't? Remind me who just wanted to kill a young man for daring to return his sister's feelings?" She received another, wordless growl in response, but the tension slowly drained from her old friend. Knowing that she would not get any further by pushing, Velvet relented as well. "I know you adore her, I love Laphi more than anything too. I'm not going to tell you not to worry, I do too. But I won't just let you interfere in this like you would have otherwise. They are old enough to make their own choices, wherever they may lead."

Her tone had grown softer with every sentence, but when she ultimately let go of his hand, Eizen stayed. He placed a hand on his face and sighed, the other clenched into a fist. "I'm going to have a stern talk with him anyway," he ground out. "But you made your point." For one insane moment, Velvet considered bringing up how Edna apparently offered her own body to repay them for the chance to get her brother back. She discarded the thought immediately, both for the guilt and the boundless wrath she knew that anecdote would earn from him.

To fill the ensuing silence, Velvet rather decided to continue with actually relevant information: "And for that matter, she has a girlfriend, too." Eizen tensed, but wisely kept his mouth shut and let her continue: "Her name is Symonne and she is Margaret's other partner. Don't be too hard on her, she had a lot happening in her life lately."

"We'll see."

Knowing that this was the best she would likely get, Velvet nodded. "There's one other thing, before we go. About two months ago, the Lord of Calamity cornered Shepherd Sorey and turned his firekeeper into a dragon." Eizen's eyes flashed in anger, clearly aware that it could as well have been Edna who was turned.

"But the Lord of Calamity is already dead," he felt out her reason to bring it up. "Losing a shepherd is a problem, but I don't see what's important about this. You don't need me to retrieve the firekeeper."

"I don't," Velvet agreed. "But she became the only white-horned dragon Laphi and I saw all around the continent. Her heart can remove your curse. I know you wouldn't want to have it," she silenced his immediate protest, "but this one is out of your hand. A firekeeper is worth purifying, but your continued presence stands on the other end of the scale. This is a choice Edna must make. I know very well you won't stay around her, so if she wants you more than her friend...." She left the words hanging in favour of holding Eizen's gaze. "And if need be, if she makes that choice, I will force that heart down your throat. She loves you." She could tell he was irate about having his freedom to choose taken away; regardless, the warning growl he let out did not faze her. "You're a dear friend," Velvet continued gently, "but so is Edna. I have a hand with stubborn boys and sometimes you need to be forced to do something for your own good."

The tension ran high for a long moment, both of them ready to throw punches. Velvet did not know what ultimately made Eizen relent; he sighed heavily, shelving the subject: "We will see what happens when we get to it. For now, show me your body." When Velvet hesitated in confusion and a bit of sheepishness, he rolled his eyes at her. "The dragon, Minkkubi. I want to see for myself, my memories from before are hazy at best."

"Ah. That makes more sense."

Concentrating, Velvet tore at the earthpulse running beneath to open it up; Minkkubi had lain in wait right beneath Rayfalke, just in case. Now she rose up to tower above Eizen, obsidian scales glinting in the afternoon sun. She still held a slumbering, crimson dragon in her arms, however; Eizen tensed at seeing Lailah's curved horns, glancing toward his friend for an explanation. "It's kinder to keep her like this," Velvet provided. "She can still think."

Her words woke the harbinger of flames, whose eyes slid open to take in their surroundings. They focussed on Eizen and Velvet, studying them with curiousity as well as remembrance. "Vel-vet," she growled, making to reach out but aborting the motion as she remembered her own claws. Both sides studied the other for a long moment.

"Tell me," Eizen then addressed Lailah, whose gaze focussed on him. "What is it that you want? To be returned to normal, or to become a sacrifice?" He left out a great many things there and Velvet's frown made clear she knew it was on purpose, but he did not amend those parts. Lailah contemplated first the question and then him.

"You. You are... Eizen." His surprise was obvious. "The. Cursed. One." Then it turned into irritation while Velvet huffed quietly. The dragon remained silent for several minutes this time, an uncomfortable silence that kept stretching on. Clouds of darkness emanated from Lailah with every breath she took, though Minkkubi's larger frame absorbed most before it could even reach Eizen. When she spoke, her grunts had a contemplative edge to them: "Either, fine. I want, to live, yes. But if it, it is, ei-ther that, or, or, Edna, Edna, being happy? She smiles so, so rarely. Make her, smile."

"Don't worry," Velvet soothed the forlorn dragon gently. "We will. All of them will smile, but it's still not a choice I'm going to take from them. Now sleep some more." Her draconic form began to sink back into the earthpulse, never relinquishing her hold on Lailah. The smaller dragon lowered her head as she vanished from sight, leaving only Velvet and a somber Eizen.

"She's willing to sacrifice herself," he muttered after a long pause, eyes seeking Velvet's. "You could just do it right now, get it over with." He was still unhappy, but no longer actively opposed to the plan.

Velvet let out a soft sigh, squashing the urge to hug herself for comfort. "I could and I considered it. But this is really not my choice to make, Eizen. Even if Lailah agrees with it, I can't keep making decisions for humans and seraphim; I am a most cruel goddess, after all." The joke drew a grin from her friend, which Velvet matched. "So my puny lessers will have to make the hard decisions on their own."

"You're not wrong. But this is Lailah's choice first and foremost, isn't it? It's her life and her heart."

"Agreed." Velvet watched the contemplative dragon with her true body, wondering if perhaps it would be kinder do grant her wish after all. "I'll consider it. Maybe we'll go ahead after your curse almost kills the girls a few times."

They shared a laugh over that and once her mirth faded, Velvet made to activate the teleportation gate. Her hand paused right above the arte however; something made her hesitant, be it instinct or caution. She threw a glance to Eizen and examined the arte, then dispelled it with a huff. "Your curse is already active," Velvet informed her friend as she weaved the arte anew. "The gate's formula got corrupted while we spoke, probably from Lailah's Malevolence. Going through like that probably would have destroyed us. Or thrown us into the void, I don't know." She would have to ask her brother for a better idea what might have happened. Eizen did not respond either way, though he reached into his pocket for something that was not there, then frowned.

"You know what you signed up for," he reminded her, to which Velvet nodded. "By the way, do you know what happened to my coin?"

"Zaveid has it. Said he picked it up after you turned and kept it since." They spoke about that some time ago, she remembered; the exact conversation coaxed another smile out of Velvet. "He said he wanted to give it to Edna at some point, but only after you died. So she can remember you by it."

"I see. And where is Zaveid now?"

"Working with the shepherd, same as Edna. I'll see about getting him alone to get your coin, but I doubt we'll have that chance." Just as the arte completed, Velvet threw Eizen a saccharine smile. "Looks like you have to go there instead." The glare he returned only made her huff, though she slowly began to understand what Magilou found so funny about taunting people.

She took the gate first and Eizen followed right behind; he appraised their new surroundings cautiously while trailing after Velvet, being led from the basement to the upper floors. Margaret was already expecting them, as was Alisha. Symonne apparently preferred to cuddle with Laphi, the two of them immediately drawing Eizen's attention in the back. He made to stalk over to them, but Margaret intercepted him with a smile. "Now that we have everyone here, meet Alisha. She is our resident therion."

"A pleasure," the older blonde murmured, unaware of being studied because her gaze was directed to the ground. Velvet glanced from her to Eizen and back, then made an understanding noise; he was handsome after all.

For his part, the earth seraph offered her a nod. "Likewise. I'm Eizen." He then stepped past the befuddled woman on his original path, looming over Symonne and Laphi.

"You two," Eizen growled, "a word."

The three women at the room's other side watched how both seraphim glanced up at him, then at each other. He frowned when neither of them rose, though Symonne pre-empted any demands: "Let me guess: 'if you touch my sister, I'll kill you'?" Either the prediction or her attempted baritone made Eizen blink down at her in surprise, prompting a giggle.

"No, no," Laphi corrected his girlfriend cheerfully. "I'm sure it's more like 'you better stay away from Edna, or I tear you apart'!" He, too, attempted a deep voice that only sounded hilarious. Velvet huffed, offering a shrug to the befuddled Alisha.

"Is that funny to you?" Eizen's growl curiously did nothing to intimidate the two; Symonne continued grinning and Laphi rolled his eyes.

"Of course it is," he lectured the older seraph with incredulity, "because you don't get to decide about Edna's life, just like Velvet doesn't get to decide about mine. If you think you can intimidate me into behaving, you probably forgot which of us is god here."

"And if you think you need to threaten us in the first place," Symonne chimed in while poking her foot into Eizen's stomach, "then that says more than enough about your opinions, which we will disregard on principle. So spare us all the trouble, yes? We're not doing anything she doesn't want, just like she won't do anything we don't want."

They held his glare nonchalantly, completely relaxed. Velvet tensed up however, expecting a brawl. To her surprise, Eizen backed off with a nod. "Good," he acquiesced. "At least you have a spine about yourself. We will see about the rest. I don't have to say what happens if you hurt her."

"Probably about the same that would happen if Edna hurt Laphi," Symonne chirped idly with a glance to Velvet. "Would be a shame, wouldn't it?"

"Don't pull me into this," she deflected the implications. "I know my Laphi is old enough not to need coddling."

"You still coddle him", Margaret immediately backstabbed her with a grin. "But it's more cute with a big sister and little brother." Alisha nodded along sagely while Laphi made a face. Eizen barked out a laugh, shaking his head at the situation.

"Alright. I'll leave it be for now." His gaze went to his vessel right after. "But there is someone I want to visit. It's your choice if you want to tag along, but if he's at all like I remember him, he will be intense."

"I'll say," Velvet muttered in agreement. Seeing the curious expressions all around, she provided some information for the others: "He's based in Horsa village at the moment." Laphi understood at once while the other women did not; Margaret pulled out a list Symonne made, nodding a few times as she skimmed it.

"We have some, er, targets near Horsa. I recall that there are bandits in the area as well, so we need to go there anyway. Wait a second." Laphi's laugh coincided with her remembering the elusive group's name; Margaret pocketed the list with a sigh. "It's van Aifread, isn't it?"

"Aye."

"I am not sure I understand the significance there," Alisha admitted as she glanced between everyone, "but I have been curious about the bandit king for a while. If you would not mind our company, Eizen?" He nodded to her and the therion's expression brightened. "Then I would like to meet him as well."

"I'm half-tempted to stay here," Symonne added with a glance to Laphi, who unceremoniously pushed her off the couch. "But it seems I'm not wanted right now."

"Stop being so dramatic," Margaret chided her first partner as she sauntered up to them, dress swishing around her calves. "We're all going, you can make out with Laphi some other time."

"Spoilsport."

The group trooped off, leaving only Velvet and Laphicet. He rose with a dramatic sigh and filed in behind her as well. "Back to work, I guess."

"Yes. And while we're at it, keep anything sensitive or vital under observation. We can't afford Eizen's curse messing things up now."

"Can do. At least Heldalf is already dead. No curse in the world can raise the dead. Except Malevolence, but... yeah, I'm going to shut up now."

. .
. .​

Alisha's first reaction to the bandit's main base was... surprise. They arrived not in a roughshod camp or cave, but rather a small chapel; she halted for a moment to study her surroundings and found the place well cared-for. Eizen did similarly, one hand on his chin. "The architecture is odd," he mused. "Those surfaces are too smooth and the edges too sharp to be made by human hands. I'd say this is a seraph-built room."

"I can see what you mean," Margaret agreed after scrutinising their surroundings again; Alisha felt lost, unable to see what they saw. "Likely the furniture was pilfered from elsewhere, but the room itself and the altar there appear like they were shaped of the very earth and not put together from stone." That was clearer for Alisha to follow, though she still exchanged a helpless shrug with Symonne.

Margaret, thankfully seeing their casual disinterest, pointed toward the door. "Perhaps we should keep moving," she suggested. Eizen nodded, but fell into step with her instead of charging ahead. Alisha followed as they left, entering a corridor that appeared just slightly off like the chapel. There were distant voices audible, but no one in sight at first; they needed to turn a corner and enter another room to meet people. A tall blunette was busy sharpening her spear on a grindstone when they entered the small forge. She perked up at their sight, first confused and then cheerful.

"New recruits, eh? Did Alvin just send you in again?" No one knew what to respond to that and she filled the pause herself. "Ah well, give me a moment and I'll take you to the boss. I'm Judith."

Stumped by the warm welcome, Alisha gave her own name before Margaret did the same; Judith did not react to Eizen and Symonne keeping their silence, continuing to chatter at them: "Pretty sure I know what you're thinking, place is way too neat and tidy to be a bandit camp, no? We've got some friends who built it for us, and we've got enough money to afford proper clothes and food, so don't worry too much, girls. We look out for each other here, no matter where you're from or who you are. Doesn't matter if you're hellions either, not that I could tell." Alisha fidgeted self-conciously at that last part, which the lady noticed with a chuckle. "Right on the money, I guess. Now come, come!"

She ushered them out of the forge and further down the corridor until they all entered a bigger room taken up by a large table, one man, and two lamias. The table held a map, which in turn held the attention of all three occupants; the crimson-scaled lamia slithered around restlessly while the blue one remained in place.

"New recruits, boss!"

With those words, all three turned to them; the lamias immediately focussed on Alisha as a fellow hellion, whose tail swished weakly. She in turn studied the bandit king, van Aifread; he was tall like Eizen and just as handsome, his long, black hair disheveled. The only orderly thing in his face was a neatly trimmed, pointy beard; every other symmetry was destroyed by a vertical scar running over his left eye, though the eye itself appeared fine. His gaze lay on Eizen, the two men sizing each other up. An odd tension gripped the room and the men, clearly noticed by everyone else; Judith faltered a little, looking between them while Eizen stepped forward. Aifread did the same and then punches started flying.

Alisha and her friends quickly stepped back to the wall, soon joined by the other three women. They watched the brawl in a momentary silence, broken by a resigned Judith: "Is this Zaveid fellow visiting again?" She received a headshake from the crimson lamia.

"This one is different," the woman muttered, then peered at Symonne. "How many people did you bring here?"

"Two, why?"

"Count again," the water seraph chimed in cheerfully, evoking clear shock in Judith. "And don't get used to it; I'm pretty sure it looks a lot less stupid when you can see them both." The blunette's attention went back to the brawl, where she could now actually see Eizen. Her jaw fell slack while the lamias focussed on Symonne now.

"That is a curious power you have," the blue lamia commented. "But regardless, welcome. I am Enid, this is my sister Rodeen." Her crimson sister nodded, neither of them fazed by the ongoing fistfight no ten metres from them. Eizen and Aifread were unrelenting, like forces of nature colliding.

While Margaret introduced everyone in their little group, Alisha pondered the goings-on and found herself curious. "Is he, um, always like this?"

She motioned for the men, her question clear to everyone. Judith quickly shook her head. "Not always, but he often goes on about how men speak with their fists." The women rolled their eyes at each other as they watched on.

Into the sounds of fists colliding, Margaret began to muse: "I would say it depends on the kind of man. Although, admittedly, throwing punches is refreshingly straightforward if you are used to careful social manipulation and intrigue."

"Aye."

Alisha needed a moment to realise it was her who agreed with the comment in such a casual manner. No one so much as batted an eye, but the realisation highlighted just how much she changed since leaving home. Thankfully, her mild embarassment remained unnoticed; Enid had been studying Margaret from the corner of her eyes, speaking up as the brawl came to a close: "You are no new recruits, are you?"

"I am afraid not," the girl admitted with a nod to Eizen gasping on the floor. "But he wanted to visit his friend, so we were curious how, er, people such as you live." Alisha winced over the less diplomatical phrasing, but none of the bandits took offense. "Word of your exploits is starting to pass through every corner of the empire," she added. There were a few understanding noises, though any further conversation was disrupted by raised male voices.

"About time you showed your ruddy face around here! It was getting boring without you to spice things up!" Though bruised and sporting a black eye, van Aifread clasped his old friend's hand in a firm shake.

Eizen chuckled darkly in response, crossing his arms when they let go of each other. "I doubt the rest of your new crew would be that happy with me. Besides, I can't stay, at least not yet."

"Oh? Prefer the ladies this time, eh?" The bandit king ran an appreciative gaze over them all, which had the lamias bristling and made Alisha feel somewhere between affronted and flattered. Her tail swished once before she shook off the sensation; she ought to be used to being complimented, though not in such straightforward a manner. Eizen just rolled his eyes.

"No," he deflected. "There are things that need to be done and that they will need all the help they can get to achieve. But I'll be around." Aifread laughed heartily and slapped his shoulder before fully rounding on Alisha's group.

"And you, what brings you into our humble abode?"

Margaret repeated their reasoning for him, then she and Alisha introduced themselves with polite smiles. Symonne merely shrugged, peering up at the bandit. "I don't know about them," she teased with a grin, "but I heard there's drink and booty to be had!" She offered her hand, which the chuckling Aifread shook vigorously. "But for real now, we have some work in the area, so we figured we might as well drop in here so Eizen can say hi."

"Aye, I like this one. Should consider her, old friend." He threw a wink to Eizen, whose frown darkened further. Symonne giggled.

"Nope, not happening. Already seeing his baby sister."

"And suicidal, too! Now, I'd say you make for perfect companions!" Aifread laughed again. Meanwhile, Alisha wondered if she could inch away from Eizen; if she had thought his scowl was severe before, he appeared positively murderous right now.

All of a sudden, one leg of the table next to them collapsed and brought down the whole thing; Alisha flinched into a ready stance, but relaxed once it registered properly. Aifread just shrugged. "Ah, there we go. I was wondering how long it takes. Now, Enid? Call everyone together, we're having a feast to celebrate Eizen's return!"

"I, why? ...yes, of course." The lamia had made to argue, but decided against it. She slithered away with her sister close behind, shoulders slumped despondently.

Everything moved at an incredible pace from there on; within the hour, dozens of men and women were gathered under the open sky in a derelict village. No less than seven cooks tended the fireplaces, barrels of ale and bottles of finer spirits filled first wooden mugs, then their stomachs. Well-cooked meat and roasted vegetables went onto her own plate as well, a meal worthy of being called feast. Some people were singing, others danced to the tune of strings.

Alisha could not help but stare at the goings-on. She had been swept up by the cheer and was even convinced to partake in drinks with the bandits. All around her sat rugged yet clean people enjoying themselves; much to her embarassment and secret pleasure, she had to turn down approaches from three men and even one woman so far. Currently, she watched Aifread convince Margaret into accepting a mug of ale.

"Your age doesn't matter, lass! You're old enough to fight, so you're old enough to drink!" He motioned for a couple of young adults sipping from their own mugs; the boy smiled timidly while the girl toasted with cheer. "See? One mug won't kill you."

"My mother just might," Margaret quipped back, drawing laughter from the bandits.

"What kinda pussy talk is that?" someone threw in together with a cleaned bone. "Just try it!" Others joined in and agreed. Alisha sighed softly as she tipped back her own mug, only for another voice to sound over the others: "See, your friend's doing alright!"

"Only a bit too uptight to fit in," another voice joked; Alisha almost choked on her drink upon being singled out, but managed to catch herself and finish the rest in slow gulps. Once she was finished however, she deliberately set down the mug before wiping her mouth with a napkin. A part of her remained flattered about being so desired, but yet another was appalled by the assumption she would be up for such casual intimacy. Then again, she wondered, perhaps an erotic adventure might not be so bad. No one would ever know, anyway.

Her sight was blurry at this point, but she grabbed a full mug nonetheless. The banter faded in and out, only becoming more focussed when someone pulled the ale out of her hand. Blinking, Alisha found Margaret's unamused gaze directed at herself. She tilted her head. "Is something the matter, Margaret?" she wanted to inquire, but it came out rather blurred. Companionable laughter sounded all around, which in turn made Alisha giggle along.

"I believe you had enough," Margaret commented. Alisha pouted, her tail sliding open to snap at her friend, who stepped away effortlessly. Then she sipped from Alisha's mug, grimacing a moment later. "And I have to decline again," she told Aifread. "It seems I am the only responsible person around... and I won't let anyone take advantage of Alisha here."

"You shound like I -hic- I can't look after me!" Alisha slurred, all eloquence lost by this point. The more she thought about it, the more interest she found in all those things she had been taught not to do. Traveling with friends was so much fun, having friends was so much fun! Even with potentially literal pits of despair in her belly, Alisha had never been happier before. She sniffled at the reminder, tears rolling down her cheeks within seconds. "Ah, p-pardon, I...." Bashful, Alisha lowered her head and dabbed at her eyes, but it would not stop. She barely managed to stop herself from wailing like a child.

"Hey now, it's alright." She felt herself pulled up, stumbling forward momentarily; a firm shoulder steadied Alisha at once. As she wrapped her arms around Margaret on impulse, her friend sighed. "Definitely had enough," she murmured, leading the therion away. Alisha was tucked in not much later, slurring something about happiness and friendship to Margaret.

She would wake hours later, head mushy instead of in pain as others told her it would be. Yet despite the odd state she hid from her companions as they left Horsa, she wondered; seeing the bandits wave them off cheerfully conjured up memories. She had more fun this one afternoon than at any function she ever attended as princess. In the privacy of her own head, Alisha mused how things would be if perhaps she had accepted someone's advances. While her drunk thoughts remained those of a drunk, they retained their allure even once she sobered up. However, those thoughts and her actions also embarassed Alisha, who felt she would need to think about it all for a while before coming to a decision. But she had her friends by her side and much to do, so that was just fine with her.

 

[Naron]

The sight of happy people would always be special to Sorey. He stood a bit to the side, watching warmly how men, women, and children celebrated as his flames washed away the Malevolence; they were farmers, one and all. Some had insisted they remain as orcs but they, too, shared in the joy. Regular children played with the few that were still kobolds, unable to even see the difference.

"It's odd," Rose commented at the sight. "But I'm starting to feel I did the right thing tagging along after all." She was smiling, much like Sorey and Mikleo. "It's kinda weird how fast word got around, though."

"Ten Gald says it's Alisha's group," Edna deadpanned at the redhead, earning a chorus of "No bet"'s from her companions. Dezel did not bother responding.

A wrinkled orc standing nearby inclined his pig-head at them reverently. "I can not say if this 'Alisha' is who told of your coming, gentle shepherd." He cleared his throat with a grunt, then motioned for the main road leading through various farmsteads. "What I know is that about three months ago, a woman rode through and called out to us. She never stopped and we barely saw what she looked like, but her mount was a giant fox, twice as big as any horse I've ever seen."

"I see," Sorey commented idly. "So you believed her because of that fox?" The elder nodded, clasping his hands in joy about being helpful.

"Indeed. Everyone has been looking forward to it, sir. Are you sure there is nothing we can give you for chasing away the darkness?"

"No need," Rose reassured him. "We're not in this for money or anything, it's the shepherd's duty to help people in need! Though I won't say no if you'd make us a good price on some supplies."

"Rose!"

The orc chuckled, which came out more as a series of squeaks; he merely made a dismissive motion. "It's the least we could do," he insisted before trotting off to locate his son and daughter-in-law. "Just let me see what we have in store; we can't part with too much in the middle of Winter." He left a slightly irritated Sorey, an unrepentant Rose, and four seraphim in various states of amusement.

"Just let them do it," Mikleo advised his brother gently. "They want to give back."

"It's human nature," Rose added impishly; she made a sweeping motion for the expressions of joy all around. "They'd feel indebted regardless how long you say it's fine. People don't like that feeling, so they try to return the favour somehow." Sorey heaved a sigh in response, only reluctantly accepting her reasoning; it took him a while to realise how expertly Rose minimised the amount they took as recompense.

"Anyway," Dezel interrupted, "now we know they're still ahead of us." Rose rolled her eyes at him, arms crossed in front of her red blouse.

"As if we'd overtake them with all the detours we made. It's been a month since we left Lastonbell, remember?" She grimaced at Sorey, whose turn it was to be unrepentant. "Ruin diving, exploration, purification on the way. I never thought we'd do so much off the roads. We'd have been here almost three weeks ago with two wind seraphim otherwise." Her musing received shrugs from Sorey and Mikleo, but even less from the others.

"It is how it is," Zaveid finally commented. "Not that I'm complaining. Cities and I don't go so well together."

Sorey sighed again, still unsure what to make of their entire situation. After some initial problems, he found he got along well enough with Zaveid, so that was one issue solved. At the same time, it appeared he continued to follow in Margaret's and Alisha's wake instead of forging his own path through the world. They moved so fast and so far ahead that he had been left behind, or something like that; none of these considerations were shared with the others, though. "I'm honestly still wondering why Alisha can turn into a fox. I never saw a hellion with two forms before, not to mention one that still looks almost human."

"Now that you mention it, that's true." Mikleo glanced from his brother to Edna and Zaveid, though neither of them appeared inclined to answer the question. After deliberating for a moment, he decided who to ask: "Hey Edna, did Symonne say anything about that?"

"Not really, no."

"Heh, doubt they were doing much talking," Rose teased with a wink to the earth seraph, whose expression turned stony. "Unless she or Laphicet are into that, eh?" It had been less than a week of travel before they coaxed the names of Edna's boyfriend and girlfriend out of her; Sorey was certain that she regretted telling them ever since. He quietly sympathised with his friend, but had his own fair share of worries in that regard. Such as the fact Rose propositioned him no less than three times by now.

Much to their joint surprise, it was Zaveid who interrupted the banter thoughtfully: "Long time ago, I met a few hellions like Alisha. Odd bunch, them. Mind, there's others who still look mostly human, but the two forms are only for therions. That's a specific type of hellion."

"Huh." Sorey could not help but voice his surprise. "I've never heard those mentioned by anyone, not even gramps."

Zaveid huffed in response, throwing him a grin. "That's 'cause therions are so stupidly rare he'd never think you'd run into one. And here comes the old man." He nodded toward the returning elder, successfully distracting Sorey from the subject matter. Rose took over haggling for the supplies they bought, having added a decent amount of money to their admittedly anemic treasury when she joined.

Once they were stocked up, the six carried on into Pendrago proper, though they all stopped to marvel at its massive walls and vast size. Days were spent exploring the capital of Rolance, talking to various people about news, and purifying the surprising number of hellions living there. As they learned, a torrential rainfall a year and a half ago bred great amounts of Malevolence before Cardinal Forton successfully appeased the Great Lords with a grand sermon. Sorey decided to attend the next service she held, just for a chance to meet the woman.

In the meantime, he recalled the expedition Laphicet mentioned and went to inquire about it; just as the seraph boy expected, they were still preparing and meant to set out in Spring, once the cold winds had faded in favour of light breezes. The scholars were wary of a stranger just trying to insert himself, but he quickly found likeminded, inquisitve spirits among them. It probably helped that Sorey knew the books at least as well as they did. A quick display of Mikleo's powers was all it took to convince them of his identity after that. It was a good day, although he could have lived without Edna and Rose calling him a nerd for hours afterward.

With that settled, the day he waited for finally arrived; Sorey and Rose filed into the shrinechurch together with many locals. Their partners dwelled within them for the duration. A well-groomed elder pushed himself a bit to the side of his bench so Shepherd and Squire could sit next to each other; his smile held well-maintained teeth when Sorey thanked him quietly.

The sermon began but a few minutes later; a calming song filled the room, first sung by a soft alto and then echoed by the choir seated in the back. Sorey found himself relaxing into the somewhat comfortable bench; he recgonised the ancient tongue, but not which one this song was in. Then he took note of the woman passing by each row as she led the choir, dressed in fine robes of white. Her elaborate headdress made clear that she was more than a mere priestess; Sorey identified her as the cardinal, just moments before she fell quiet and the final syllables faded away.

"I am glad to see so many of you joining me once again," Cardinal Forton greeted the faithful; her faint smile portrayed great warmth as she spread her arms to encompass the room. "I am certain the Great Lords will be pleased with your faith." The words felt a little hollow to Sorey, who knew that none of this was actually necessary to appease the five. By now he learned that most people had no idea about that, however.

The cardinal continued her sermon reading from ancient texts and of events he was vaguely familiar with, although the tale of Artorius beholding divine splendor under a full crimson moon felt exaggerated in his opinion. Admittedly, Sorey always wondered if one could meet a Great Lord, but they were asleep most of the time. Even Zenrus only met them a handful of times throughout the eons he was alive.

He listened attentively nonetheless, trying to memorise every tale to reference with the Celestial Record later. Only when the cardinal fell silent did Sorey snap out of his own fugue; her smile had grown a fraction. "Before I release you back into your lives and the troubles you could forget for a little while as you joined me today, I wish to impart a piece of knowledge. Very recently, scholars deciphered several ancient texts that speak of more than just five Great Lords." The room took a collective breath as the announcement was taken in, even Sorey's eyes widened. Forton bowed toward the altar in front, her voice carrying across the room regardless: "We have found word of gods long forgotten in their slumber, forming a group with Maotelus. The gentle father is a being of resuscitation, of forgiveness and second chances. But to him belongs Innominat the golden, he whose might shall save the world from impending doom. And Minkkubi of darkness, by whose will we all are people and not mindless husks.

"It is these three that form a group that presides over our mortal lives, just like Eumacia, Hyanoa, Musiphe, and Amenoch preside over the very elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. It is my belief that knowledge of them should not be forgotten, regardless of whether they are awake to steer us clear of evil or not."

The cardinal hesitated for a long moment, giving Sorey time to work through his surprise; he had never heard of other Great Lords, from no one. The books did not mention them and neither had Zenrus; Mikleo quietly whispered that he had not known, either.

"During the days of ceaseless rain," Forton continued softly, "I saw great Innominat's light and gentle Minkkubi's darkness. They visited me not in slumber, but in waking times." Her gaze seemed to meet everyone's eyes at once; Sorey hung on every word she spoke, much like the entire audience. "It was then they told me how to end the plague we had unwittingly drawn, and I became an instrument of their will." A shining, golden light shrouded the cardinal's figure on those words, turning her into little more than a silhouette; the room reacted with shocked surprise, even Rose joined the mesmerised outcries. "And this be your sign that our gods watch over us always," Forton closed her sermon as the light faded again.

"Behind her," Edna whispered into Sorey's awestruck mind; he blinked, shaking off his dazzled state to follow her directions; the altar behind Cardinal Forton was no longer empty. A chubby cat with gorgeous white fur sat on it, an arte circle rotating in front of them almost lazily.

As it became clear that this was it for the day, people slowly began to talk; few were more than hushed whispers as everyone discussed what they just saw and heard. The elder next to him sighed happily and rose to leave, passing him with a friendly nod that Sorey returned absently; he sought Rose's gaze, but found her as bewildered as himself. "You never heard about this before either, did you?"

"Nope, only ever knew about five."

"But we heard about this Minkkubi before," Mikleo added as he materialised next to them. "That huntress we met on the way here, she mentioned her."

"I don't remember that."

"That was before you joined."

"Ah. Oh, I see."

Rose kindly did not further go into the matter as it would have reminded them of their loss again; Sorey barely noticed, busy as he was trying to put all those little pieces together. Something did not add up, but he could not say what; his gaze lay on the cardinal, who was watching her flock trickle out of the room. When their eyes met however, she delicately arched an eyebrow and waved him over.

Sorey followed the invitation immediately, only realising he left his friends behind when Rose and Mikleo caught up with him moments later. The cardinal inclined her head as he neared, a gesture Sorey returned reverently. "Thank you for the sermon, ma'am. I learned a lot."

His earnestness earned a soft chuckle; Cardinal Forton's eyes strayed from him to Rose and back before she spoke. "It is a pleasure to impart knowledge on those who seek it. But even greater a pleasure is to finally meet the gentle shepherd; word of your rise to the title in Hyland reached us long ago." Sorey stiffened, clearly aware of the renewed excitement among what was left of the crowd; gazes bored into his back that he did not dare meet right now. He laughed weakly and scratched the back of his neck.

"Ah, well, I was held up a bit. You know, making detours and helping out."

"Commendable. I understand."

"How'd you recognise Sorey just like that, anyway? Did they distribute sketches or something like that?" Rose's quip earned a sideeye glance, although Forton apparently accepted her question as valid; she never got to answer it herself, though. The cat seraph chose that moment to jump onto her shoulder and coax out an involuntary twitch of her eyes.

"Word travels fast among us seraphim," the cat told them gently in a dark, female voice. "We, too, were looking forward to your arrival."

"Holy crap the cat's talking!"

In the odd pause following Rose's exclamation, Forton pushed the cat seraph off her shoulder; she landed safely on all fours, staring up at her previous perch in mild annoyance. "Must you always do this?"

"We had an agreement about this kind of thing."

The feline's head tilted. "You decided we had," she returned with audible amusement. "I agreed to nothing." Forton just heaved a long-suffering sigh while her companion began to approach Sorey on foot. "Regardless, it is a pleasure to meet you in person, young shepherd. There are few in this day and age who would take up the title." She brushed around his legs, then went over to Edna, who crouched to pet her.

"You mentioned that Minkkubi was asleep for a long time," Mikleo joined into the conversation to bring it back on track. "But we recently met a huntress who met her, and she said Minkkubi is young." The cardinal inclined her head at him, hands folded curtly.

"A minor embellishment," she admitted quietly. "An old goddess returning after long slumber inspires more confidence than a newborn."

Sorey nodded, more to himself than her. "That explains that. But I have to admit I never really heard of Innominat before. There is a mention or two in the Celestial Record about a seraph by that name, but nothing about him being a Great Lord." He hesitated then, unsure if his desire would not be too overbearing. "What is he like?"

Forton hummed, studying Sorey while she considered his question. "Magnificent, I would say. Golden and grand. Though on a personal level, the Great Lord Innominat struck me as a reserved, highly intelligent, and kind individual." Morgrim chuckled from where she was clutched to Edna's chest; the earth seraph hid her face in the soft fur. Zaveid snorted as well, which drew attention to him; the cardinal frowned. "Is there something you wish to add, sir?"

"Nah."

He left it at that and obviously did not care to elaborate; after sizing him up a moment longer, Forton changed the subject: "You seem quite knowledgeable about the past. Were you perhaps a scholar before taking up the mantle of shepherd?"

"Oh, er... something like that? I read a lot of books and explored all kinds of ruins over the years." Sorey could not quell his excitement about finding another inquisitive mind to talk to. "There is just so much wonder in our past, so many great things and people! I really wish Mayvin's Encyclopedia had more than three parts, it was the most comprehensive work I know of."

"I agree, although most people have sworn on the Celestial Record the past few decades."

"Well, it's small and easy to carry." Sorey quickly dug out his own, dog-eared and marked copy for emphasis. "Mayvin's books are a bit bigger and about twice as thick, so I couldn't carry them around easily. We actually had to leave my copy at home... wait, do you have the Encyclopedia here?"

"Psst," Rose stage-whispered to Mikleo, "who's Mayvin?" Sorey's eyebrow twitched at the blatant lack of common knowledge and Forton appeared just as annoyed.

"Mayvin is the historian," he told his squire curtly. "She compiled the knowledge of history from the dark period to several hundred years into the Age of Chaos. Everything that's relevant, put into words and drawing for future generations to learn from. We still know about Eleanor, Artorius, and Claudin because of her work."

"Much of the church's lore builds on Mayvin's writing as well," Forton came to his aid before dismissing Rose and turning back to Sorey. "Regardless, you are quite the curious character. Would you be amenable to compare notes one of these days?"

The surprised shepherd needed a moment before he could nod. "I'd love to!"

Needless to say, the remainder of the day included a lot of teasing from Rose for meeting with an older woman, most of which he simply shrugged off. Sorey was looking forward to studying ancient lore he never saw before. Thus it was that they spent another few days in Pendrago instead of heading out after the sermon; no amount of teasing could bring down Sorey's mood.

The day they did leave however, something peculiar happened; just at the gates, a loud voice proclaimed the crowd to part for 'the shepherd Malfore'. Sorey stopped in surprise, watching a well-dressed man strut into the city while continuously proclaiming his title; he was escorted by a group of knights.

"Huh, I didn't know there were other shepherds around."

"That's because he isn't, nerd." Rose clapped his shoulder a few times, watching the nobleman vanish down the road. "But from what I heard, whenever there's a shepherd, there's also imposters. Let's get going for now."

Sorey let himself be led, unaware of and indifferent to 'Shepherd' Malfore's goals and actions. In fact, the man pretending to be Glenwood's promised saviour continued his path through the capital. He had not yet begun to believe he was the shepherd, keeping his mind sharp and his eye open for potential threats to his claim. He gradually relaxed upon entering Bidmu district, where the nobility dwelled; as always upon returning to Pendrago, he meant to dine with General Tuller, his patron.

Much to his surprise, it was not just him and the general's family that evening; rather, upon entering the parlor, he found himself face to face with two esteemed visitors. Cardinal Forton had dressed in a conservative robe, foregoing her usual headdress in favour of an elegant updo; she exchanged pleasant conversation with an old man in pristine, dark robes. His regal features were unmistakable, the neatly trimmed beard and alert eyes. Malfore took a knee at once, keeping quiet until he was taken notice of. "Your Majesty," he greeted reverently, "I was not aware you would be joining us tonight."

Emperor Doran offered a pleasant smile in response. "Ah, the gentle shepherd. Rise, you ought not to bow to anyone, not even Us."

"I could never accept such disrespect upon your person," the 'shepherd' returned without missing a beat. He straightened up. "Your wise rule has seen the empire prosper over the past decades." Bowing his head once more, he offered the other guest a smile as well. "And Cardinal Forton. It is rare to see you in anything but your ecclesial robes; you look quite lovely."

"Why, thank you. An acquaintance of mine does keep nagging me to accept such an invitation once in a while; it is quite fortunate I did, now that most larger issues have been taken care of." Malfore carefully kissed the back of her hand, making sure not to actually touch her skin as was proper. All the while however, he pondered that the cardinal was clearly not born into nobility; she did well with her speech and mannerisms, but he still noticed.

Greeting the general's wife and son went just as smoothly, followed by appetisers to soft music. Malfore refrained from joining the conversation at first, being quite curious himself when His Majesty spoke: "Earlier you mentioned that 'most' large issues were resolved. Is there something giving you trouble? Perhaps We can be of assistance?"

The cardinal calmly finished sipping on her glass of fine wine, one hand sitting in her lap. "Your majesty is too kind," she deflected modestly. "I do not wish to burden you unnecessarily, although your counsel would be greatly appreciated as we seek to unmask the false shepherd." At once the atmosphere changed; tension entered the room and everyone present; some gazes went to Malfore, who almost choked on a bite of venison.

"Rest assured there is no need for the church to get involved in this matter," he scrambled immediately after swallowing. "I shall see to administer justice in person!" The Tullers all applauded his declaration while Malfore fought down his internal dread; Runette Forton sized him up rather curiously, though. Then she smiled without any warmth.

"I am certain you will," she agreed, cutting off the emperor's impending praise: "And so swiftly as well, seeing how you delivered yourself already."

The table fell into shocked silence, first from the clear affront toward his majesty and then from the accusation levied against his person. Malfore quickly caught himself, though. "Pardon, but I believe such insinuations are unfounded and quite rude. Such crude jokes are not well-received in the circles we dwell in, Cardinal."

"I am well aware, which is why this was no joke." She did not even react to his jab at her credibility in any notable manner.

"This is a strong accusation, Cardinal," Emperor Doran interrupted, breaking up their argument before it could really start. His gaze had firmed up now, its entire weight resting upon Runette Forton. "Do you possess proof?"

For a moment, Malfore thought himself safe; he had meticulously ascertained that there was nothing concrete to expose any falsehoods. Then Forton smiled again and his hope died. "Why, I do. In fact, I have not arrived alone; it is quite curious that the gentle shepherd, a station known to be held by those who can see that which most do not, would miss the kind seraph standing right next to me." Malfore stiffened during the general surprise; if there truly was a seraph, then he had lost. But how would she convince everyone of that?

Before he could formulate a new plan, a new voice broke the pregnant silence: "Not to mention that Shepherd Sorey has left Pendrago just earlier today." There on the table sat an ethereally gleaming cat, her fur white as snow. "Runette enjoyed his presence quite a lot as they discussed the church's ancient tomes the past few days." She began to groom herself under the flabbergasted eyes of everyone in the room; even the servants forgot their duties to gape.

"How peculiar," the emperor muttered, leaning closer to inspect the seraph. "How would we see when only Cardinal Forton appears to hold the resonance it takes?"

The cat paused to peer at him, chuckling. "A friend from Lastonbell is near to make it so."

"Ahh! So the elusive seraph that allows the Crowe's Nest tavern to be possible?"

"Why, indeed. It sounds like you were there before."

Malfore had heard of that tavern; he actually visited it several times before deciding to take the gamble of proclaiming himself shepherd. Seraphim were not the demigods some saw them as, they appeared to be people like anyone else, if with odd ideas at times. He almost spoke up, barely remembering that interrupting the emperor of all people was bad. Forton just kept smiling.

As the minutes dragged on, Malfore clearly understood that he was done for. He did not dare meet General Tuller's eyes.

Much later that night, the cardinal sent Laphicet Crowe back to his divine sister with news of these events; the false shepherd was convicted and stripped of all titles and wealth. He was labeled a liar in addition, for all the proof he claimed of others he wished to take down with him mysteriously vanished. The Bloodwing Butterflies could take over extorting those deserving, while destroying proof of wrongdoing for those who had only done so to survive. The last bit of information Runette sent with him was something curious, though; Morgrim coaxed out of the emperor that he sometimes dressed up as a common man to walk among his people unnoticed; he was more aware of current events than expected.

All in all, it had been a fruituous evening.

 

[Naron]

Winter's last snow began to thaw by the time Sorey's group reached the small village of Gododdin; the villagers received him and Rose quite cheerfully. Within ten minutes of their arrival however, a walking tiger approached them with other hellions in tow.

Sorey hesitated at their sight, uncertain what to do; slitted eyes wandered between him and the seraphim that the gaggle of normal villagers had taken no notice of. The hellion tapped another man's shoulder, who let him talk to Sorey instead. "Hail, stranger," he greeted with a low growl. "Those lot be seraphim?"

"Um, yeah?" His confirmation led to excitement among the people and a crowd began to form, much in difference to what he initially wanted. "Do you need something?"

"Depends."

The tiger loomed over him for a moment, but retreated when a wrinkled hand landed on his arm; a kindly if somewhat pale elder smiled at Sorey. "Please forgive him, traveler," he apologised. "Many of us are on edge; we did not have many good experiences with new arrivals recently." He threw a flat look at the chastised tiger before addressing Sorey again. "But I am curious; are there truly seraphim present?"

"Yup, four of them in all. Edna is just moping inside Sorey 'cause she misses her sweetheart." The Earth seraph's voice echoed through his mind telling Rose to shut up, but his squire kept beaming at the elder. "We've come around to see if you need help with something."

"Hm." A frown marred the elder's face as he studied Sorey's clothes and cape. "The lady shepherd has already done enough for us to carry on," he revealed reverently. "Although she could not help any of our resident hellions. I recall there were at least some who would rather return to being human?" Several hands rose from the crowd, though Sorey's mind was still on the other part.

"Um, excuse me. I never heard of a lady shepherd going around?"

"Might be another impostor," Rose suggested, "but one who doesn't pretend for personal gain." Her comment earned quite a few irate looks and comments, but she shrugged at the crowd. "What? There's only one shepherd active and it ain't a woman."

"Quite true," the elder agreed readily. "She insisted she is no shepherd as well, but I continue to believe she earned being called thus. We did have an encounter with another impostor ourselves," he added, "so I understand your reaction. But where are my manners? I am Slenge, the mayor. Who would you be, young man?"

"Oh, I'm Sorey. Nice to meet you."

For some reason, Slenge's smile grew a fraction upon hearing his name. The elder waited until he introduced Rose and the seraphim before inclining his head. "Then I believe you are familiar with the lady shepherd, Margaret?" And suddenly, everything made sense. Sorey nodded while Slenge motioned all the hellions who needed cleansing forward. "She mentioned you would arrive one of these days; I admit that I expected you in Spring." Having spent a month in the cold wilds, Sorey understood why.

A minute later, all the men and women who desired it were cleansed and celebrated among each other; local seraphim had appeared to see the new arrivals and soon enough, everyone except Edna was chatting with the locals. Hearing of the river Margaret dug with help from the villagers amazed Sorey; his respect for the other woman grew even more when Edna confirmed that the soil had been enriched recently. Gododdin could now subsist of raising crops, the newly made farmers ready to work the land once temperatures rose a little further. Sorey was happy for them and so they remained to cleanse the surrounding countryside for several days, then headed out in higher spirits; admittedly, being able to sleep in warm beds for once may have contributed to their mood.

Meanwhile, Eguile's mood had dropped considerably when a fateful letter was delivered to his hand. Whoever penned it carefully removed any trace of individuality, leaving but an elegant cursive to imply good education. He scratched his head, wishing to be in contact with Rose and ask her opinion. With their leader out and about however, it was his call to make; he heaved a sigh, glancing between the two women who delivered that letter and knew its contents. "We will gather information for now," he declared. "Make sure the Bloodwings don't learn of this one, under any circumstance." He received dutiful nods and they trouped off to talk to whoever else needed to know.

Of course he knew it was hardly possible to observe the movements and presence of seraphim, but he could hope they held up their end of the initial bargain to not monitor them. It would be good to know if they did not, but they would have bigger problems by then; even just looking into their liaison to the Bones could be cause to think betrayal, but the job was offered; the least they had to do was their due diligence in ensuring it was not necessary. Whoever offered seventy five thousand Gald for the death of Velvet Crowe would do so for good reason, after all.

Yet while he had hoped for Rose's council, she remained out of touch as Sorey's group scaled the mountains; just like he did before on the way to Elysia, he decided to take the direct path back to Pendrago. From there however, they immediately moved on toward the Great Camelot Bridge; including the return trip, this took them another month and Spring was out in full force by the time they reached.

Traversing the gargantuan bridge took them a whole day as well despite their seraph-enhanced speed; Sorey frequently stopped to examine a piece of architecture or gaze out at the sea in wonder. Some other travelers they met around the bridge's center warned them of bandits along the road, too.

"We'll be fine," Rose commented cheerfully once they were out of hearing range. "Not like a bunch of hoodlums can threaten us, eh?" She received a shrug from Sorey and no real response from the seraphim, as none of the latter were corporeal.

The shepherd frowned somewhat, a mixture of wonder and concern tinging his thoughts. "Margaret and Alisha were always a step or two ahead of us so far," he mused out loud. "but if there are bandits ahead, maybe they weren't to Zaphgott Moor yet?" He doubted that they were done in, but the absence of their handiwork the last few weeks came as a bit of a surprise.

"Who knows," Zaveid commented from within. "If they did, you'll hear about it soon enough."

"I get his point though," Mikleo added thoughtfully. "I wonder what they're up to right now."

. .
. .​

"No, no, please I-"

The pleading lizardmen was cut off when a gleaming blade did likewise to his head. Gasps and whimpers sounded from a half-dozen other people as it tumbled to the ground; four of these people stood in a small enclosure, only one of them a hellion. Two more were arrayed in a crude line behind the now-corpse.

A flick of Margaret's blade sent droplets of blood flying, then she handed her weapon to Symonne; the seraph cleaned it entirely with a lazy swath of water while her partner dragged the body out of a red arte-circle. The arte itself became translucent again, then the corpse was placed next to a venomised beast they slew earlier as it tried to interrupt the proceedings.

"Next," Eizen growled. The pale human stepped forward hesitantly, needing more than one push from the shaking werewolf behind him. He slowly passed Eizen's intimidating figure and entered the circle, where Alisha kindly took his hand.

"Please do not be afraid," she soothed the man gently. "You merely need to cooperate and answer our questions, then you will be just fine." She forewent asking questions in favour of stroking his hand. Only when he calmed down somewhat did Alisha begin: "Do you feel you can answer now?" She received an affirmative and the arte flashed green.

From there on, she and Eizen began to ask the same questions they asked those before that man; what was his name, what was he doing out in the wilderness a few days from the Meadow of Triumph, on whose bidding he worked, and so on. Alisha found a hunter who worked hard for his family; the arte they settled in flashed green with every answer, even when he denied working for the Lord of Calamity or being aware of his actions aiding the same.

"It is just as I told you," Alisha finished the interrogation softly. "The truth set you free. Please wait over there with the others." Margaret reappeared at her side, blade sheathed as she led the hunter into the enclosure. Eizen scowled, but said nothing; he just called in the final suspect. The procedure repeated almost verbatim, therion and seraph having gotten used to their roles by now; Alisha would be kind to everyone until the moment of judgement, Eizen would be harsh. Margaret stepped in as a mediator and executioner where necessary.

Once six out of the seven they caught were cleared, Margaret bowed her head to them. "Please forgive us for the inconvenience, but it was quite necessary. The Great Lords called upon us to root out corruption. All of you were collaborators, but none knowingly or willingly. As such you are now free of suspicion. As for you, ma'am," she addressed a tense woman in the back, "we will look into the threat to your loved ones within the day. By the time you reach home, it will be no more." The lady gave only a subdued nod. "The six of you are free to go now, though I implore you all cease the actions we brought you in for."

They left then, at first hesitantly but then quite fast. The two living hellions were gone first, then the humans; Alisha waited until all of them left line of sight before devouring the lizardman's corpse. "I have to admit, Symonne's blessing is quite helpful in this endeavour. I do not think Margaret or I could play the villain so well, Eizen." The pirate snorted, his grave expression softening with the absence of people to intimidate.

"It's an acquired skill," he deflected with a shrug. "But I agree. I never considered that one could use illusions to allow interactions between seraphim and humans without resonance."

"Ah, stop it you~"

Symonne preened under the praise, though the levity did not last long. Alisha soon slumped to the ground with a sigh, eyes on a bloody patch of grass. "At least it was just one today," she murmured; Margaret winced, crouching by her friend's side to squeeze her shoulder. Alisha could not even muster a smile. "I'm not happy that we have to scare them so if one fails," she admitted. "Could we not put them in separate groups and keep the forsaken ones back until the rest is out of sight? Or something of the like, at least?"

"That might be a good idea," Eizen agreed readily. "People often lie out of fear to give the 'wrong' answer. Our little princess-and-pirate routine works well enough, but hiding the true consequences ought to help with that." His accomodation did not seem to improve Alisha's mood much, though. The earth seraph studied her momentarily. "How many?" he then asked.

"Fifty-two," was the immediate response. "We processed two hundred and thirty six since we started three months ago, but fifty-two were found guilty and eradicated." Alisha slumped further, even her tail drooping onto the ground. "I wish there was a better way."

"Do you want out?"

"...no."

Their eyes met momentarily, reaper and monster in accord. "I appreciate that you ask for my sake every other week, but I can keep going. As much as I wish there was a better way, I can see none and thus have to accept this. It does not stop my heart from crying, though." She paused, throwing a glance to Symonne. "I just know that if she actually paid attention, there would have been a lewd remark of a sort."

"Yeah," Margaret agreed. "Probably about crying on Eizen's broad shoulders and letting him comfort you, or something like that." She huffed, unwilling to disrupt her partner's distant thoughts. "We've gotten to know each other quite well, haven't we?"

"Aye. This is what happens on a journey like this one; you grow closer to the people you travel with, whether you want to or not. The group wouldn't stay together otherwise." Eizen displayed a rare smile before turning to Alisha again. "But for what it's worth, don't forget that every single person we kill willingly threw in their lot with the Lord of Calamity. They knew his goal and aligned with it anyway. They knew others might come after them for it, too. It was their choice, so the consequences are also theirs to bear."

Alisha nodded sadly in response. "I wish I had your certainty in my way of life," she murmured. Then her gaze fell back onto their daydreaming friend. "Perhaps we should take a break soon; she gets ever more distracted with every passing week."

"Hm?" Symonne jerked, becoming aware of the eyes on her. "Sorry, I spaced out. Where to next?" She could only stare in confusion when the other women laughed at her. Even Eizen cracked another smile.

Far distant in Lastonbell, the subject of Symonne's pining was busy weaving strands of mana together; every colour of the rainbow and more were present, their glow casting shadows over his and his teacher's face. Magilou Mayvin sat motionless, following his work. Laphicet hardly even blinked until the structure was stabilised between his hands, amber eyes wide in wonder.

"Impressive," the elder commented when he let the partly finished arte float for a moment. "It has only been three months since we started; you're shaping up well. Laphicet needed half a year for this arte in particular, even though it's his own blessing. You might be done in under a year." The seraph boy grimaced once again, much to Magilou's amusement; she had taken to using Maotelus' original name in spite of how much it annoyed her student.

"How long did you need?"

"About a hundred years? Give or take a few?" She shrugged at Laphicet. "I had to figure it all out on my own, though. And there were other things to do in the interim."

The boy nodded in understanding, though most of his focus remained on the arte. "Just like you need to go back to Ladylake every day to pretend you're just an ordinary old lady?"

"Precisely!" Magilou chuckled. "You of all people should understand the value of a good cover by now." She leaned closer after saying so, eyes on the arte. "This is starting to shape up, too. Hold it steady a while longer. But while we have a moment, I'm oh so curious: why are you helping restore Maotelus? Last time we met, you hated him."

Laphicet squinted, daring to let the construct out of his sight for a moment; he met Magilou's gaze evenly, beginning to explain: "I never hated him, though I might as well have back then. My emotional range was impaired, so even just annoyance about the situation registered far stronger to me. I don't like him, true, but I can put my feelings aside for Velvet's sake." The elder listened patiently until he fell silent, then she hummed curiously.

"I see. You must love her very much." He did not respond, thinking that his answer was quite clear; Magilou understood just fine and let off. "Alright, let's get to the next step."

 

[Naron]

They did not make it far past the Great Camelot Bridge before trouble found them. Just a few days later, as Sorey's group made camp for the night, Dezel suddenly perked up. "There are people behind that hill," he informed the others. His head turned toward a giant boulder next. "And over there as well."

"A hellion too," Zaveid added. "Feels like a lamia." Only Edna noticed him pausing suddenly, seeing that everyone else began to discuss amongst each other.

"All of them are armed," Dezel relayed thougthfully. "Including us seraphim, we are outnumbered about five to one, not that it matters much."

"Perhaps we should announce that we noticed them?" Mikleo mused then. "That might scare them off. Then again, I doubt it'll work with that many people."

Rose scowled at nothing in particular, fingers twitching as she tried not to grab her dagger. "Bandits ought to be stamped out," she declared quietly. No one argued that they were dealing with anything else, though Dezel put a hand on her shoulder.

"Many of them turn to banditry due to a lack of options," he reminded the redhead, whose expression softened somewhat. Sorey recalled hearing something similar, but being confronted with the real thing was still different.

Sighing, he suggested another approach: "How about we do something blatantly superhuman, then question them while they're confused?" He reasoned that such a display would make the bandits stop to reconsider, even if they outnumbered his group. They kept discussing the idea back and forth, no one certain about how much merit it actually had. This went on long enough for the bandits to close in further... and suddenly slink away again. When Dezel told them, he earned bewildered stares from all around. Sorey made a snap decision and turned toward the hill. "Zaveid, back me up!"

There was no verbal response, but the wind seraph settled within Sorey moments later; he channeled his power through his body, beginning to feel lighter and faster as he had so often. Then Sorey leaped twenty metres into the air, clearing the hill and the two dozen people behind it. He landed in front of the startled crowd, whirling up a cloud of sand; taking the moment of surprise to study them, he found a group of men and women. All were dressed in reasonably well but quite worn clothes. Front and center stood a crimson-scaled lamia whose first reaction was to hiss at him in warning; she cut herself off after a moment, shaking her head for some reason.

"So, uh, who are you lot? And what were you doing here?"

He felt a little awkward, being stared at like that. Rose thankfully took some attention off of him by landing a step behind; Edna and Mikleo jogged around the hill next to form up as usual. Their arrival and subsequent threat made the lamia coil up a little, like an actual snake ready to strike; Rose's eyes narrowed and she put a hand on her dagger's hilt, agitating the other side in turn. Sorey held out a hand in front of her, making his squire back down. Then he introduced himself and repeated his question for the larger group.

The lamia took a calming breath before inclining her head. "I am Rodeen," she introduced herself slowly; her words were clearly enunciated and forcefully kept calm. "This lot here serves the bandit king, van Aifread." Edna frowned at that, though Sorey did not get to ask her opinion; Rose snapped her fingers a few times.

"Could have sworn I heard the name before," the redhead muttered. "And I don't mean your boss, I heard of him alright," she told the chuckling men with a roll of her eyes.

Now that she mentioned it, Sorey felt the same, although he never heard of a bandit king before. Then he remembered, eyes widening. "Wait, Aifread, Aifread. Isn't there a place called 'Aifread's Hunting Grounds' in the west?"

"Right! That was it!"

"Yes," Edna confirmed in her usual deadpan, eyes on the bandits. "This continent was an archipelago a thousand years ago. Van Aifread lived around that time and his pirate crew was well-known to haunt the seas. What we see here is that someone picked up his name to pretend to be more intimidating."

Rodeen snarled in response, surging forward and only stopping herself inches from the unconcerned seraph's face. "Why, you little!" she spat, receiving alienated looks from her own allies and seething at Edna to Sorey's worry.

Edna herself merely arched an eyebrow at the lamia. "What? Humans don't live that long, and I know for a fact the real Aifread died long ago." Rodeen shook, but kept herself in check to the point she retreated from Edna's personal space. The bandits behind her were muttering quietly amongst each other.

Then however, a particularly tall man shouted over to them: "Hey man, quick question!" Sorey turned his head. "You the shepherd?"

"Um... yes?"

Rose immediately groaned and muttered about him being too honest, though Sorey's sheepishness was pushed away by confusion about the excited chatter. Rodeen turned as well to watch how several people clapped each other's shoulders; there were "told you"s to be heard and money changed hands, the sight of which had the lamia bend down with a defeated groan, followed by her muttering about incompetence and idiots. She was eerily similar to Rose in her display.

"Wait," his squire chimed into the chatter dumbfounded. "You guys were betting that the shepherd comes by?"

The tall man shrugged back at her as he pocketed some coins. "Desert is kind of boring outside of raids, so we make do," he admitted. "We heard the shepherd was around, so it was only a matter of time. Thanks for making it so quickly, by the way!" The men and women who just lost money grumbled, but no one seemed actually angry. It was an odd moment for Sorey, not to mention confusing. He figured he should rather get everyone back on topic.

"So, uh, why did you leave us alone?"

"Aifread's orders," Rodeen replied with a shrug. "They... we... only rob juicy targets. A pair of travelers aren't worth the hassle unless they come in a carriage. Even more so when they have seraphim with them." She sneered down at Edna afterward, the previous slight obviously not forgiven. "And just for your information, you little shrimp: this is the real Aifread, reborn to this time after a thousand years."

Edna just grinned up at the looming lamia. "Really? Did he bring any recipes for fried shrimp along with that story?"

"...as a matter of fact, he did."

The response threw Edna for a loop, regardless of the fact Rodeen was visibly unhappy about having to give it. When the seraph girl made to continue her taunts however, Zaveid materialised with a hand on her head. "He's the real deal alright," he confirmed matter-of-factly. Rodeen scowled.

"You!"

Rose nodded sagely. "Ah, so Zaveid was around these parts before."

"Looks like it," Mikleo agreed.

The lamia was clearly agitated now, but instead of attacking she simply turned. "I had enough of this," she spat. "Just, just follow if you must." Sorey felt sympathetic, this day was clearly not going well for her.

A long, awkward walk later, they entered a dilapidated village by the name of Horsa. Some more people were milling about and one figure in particular stood out as they approached; the moment they were recognised, he sauntered forward to meet them with a feral grin. "Now what do we have here?" he called jovially, studying the travelers with clear curiousity before bumping fists with Zaveid. "Good to see you again! I didn't expect you back so soon. Who's that lot?"

Knowing that he ought to say something, Sorey piped up: "Ah, I'm Sorey. The shepherd," he added after a moment of hesitation, then motioned for the others. "These are Rose, Mikleo, Dezel, and-" he was cut off when the bandit king picked Edna up by her armpits. "Uh..."

"Hm." Aifread studied the blank-faced seraph girl up close, clenched fists clearly indicating her displeasure. She still stared at him blankly, held so far up they could evenly look into each other's eyes. While Sorey still wondered what to do, the man raised his friend a little higher. "And you are Edna, without doubt. Same face, same hair, and there's the frown, too." She was put down at that point while Aifread laughed heartily, but her mask remained broken.

Sorey glanced between his friends, but neither Mikleo nor Rose appeared to know what this was about; moreover, Rose still seemed somewhat busy drinking in the sight of van Aifread. Zaveid nudged her before motioning for the bandit king. "You gotta know that Eizen used to be part of his crew once upon a time."

"Oh yes, he was." Aifread began to pace with a nostalgic grin. "And we heard lots about little Edna from him. That man was obsessed with his darling sister." Edna turned away now, hiding behind her umbrella as she sometimes did. Perhaps the snickering bandits around them added to her embarassment, which in turn annoyed Sorey a little. Then however, everyone paused when Aifread continued: "Bastard hasn't changed the slightest bit since way back when!"

Edna whirled around at that, eyes narrowed to slits; Sorey took a step back in surprise while she snarled at Aifread: "My brother turned into a dragon ages ago!"

"I know?" he returned with visible and audible confusion. "But he's back now, isn't he?" Seeing the uncomprehending faces all around, he slapped his forehead. "Ah, you haven't heard yet! Didn't ask how they did it, but he walked in here just a few months ago. Couldn't have been anyone else."

The silence that followed his announcement was deafening. Sorey barely noticed Zaveid's grin, being more concerned for Edna; she began to shake, wide eyes focussed solely on van Aifread. Several aborted motions to speak later, she forced herself to calm down first. "Is this the truth? Are you sure this was Eizen?"

"Damn right I'm sure! No one throws punches like Eizen does, I'd recognise these fists anywhere!"

Sorey did not understand; the silver flame could not quell dragons, but someone must have found a way to do it anyway. There was a general state of confusion around them when he explained that tidbit to Aifread, who merely shrugged. Rose glanced between them. "So we have a dragon that spontaneously turned back into a seraph?" she asked, only to receive another shrug.

"It really makes no sense," Mikleo muttered. "Who could have done such a thing?"

"I'd reckon the Empyreans, don't know which one except it ain't Maotelus."

Sorey wanted to inquire about that statement, but he was distracted from it by Edna; his friend remained mostly unresponsive, tears brimming in her eyes while she clearly tried to break the bright smile on her face. Mikleo made to say something, but Zaveid pre-empted him; the wind seraph carefully touched Edna's shoulder to snap her out of the fugue, his eyes on Aifread. "We're gonna take a little walk," he declared. "Don't rob the shepherd while I'm not looking, ya hear me?"

"No promises!"

Aifread laughed while Zaveid and Edna walked off; she let herself be led just like that. The others watched with mixed of emotions, though none of them really knew what to say. Rose spoke first when they were almost out of sight: "Are you sure that's a good idea? This is Zaveid going with her."

"She'll be fine, Edna's a tough one." Aifread appeared completely certain of it, so much so that Sorey felt reassured. A moment later, he himself was under the bandit king's attention. "Now, I was thinking, how about a little spar? I'm curious what our shepherd is made of."

. .
. .​

Were Edna in a normal headspace, she never would allow herself to be led by the hand like a child; not that Zaveid would have cared, she knew he just did as he pleased. Right now however, she was drowning in joy to the point she cried; her vision was too blurry to notice much of anything, only the telltale sensation of a teleportation arte remained clear to her. A moment later, the dry air had become cooler and more humid. She tried to blink her tears away as they walked, but more kept coming.

"There you are," Zaveid broke into her circling thoughts, tugging Edna forward and into a pair of small arms that wrapped around her immediately. "Coulda told us about Eizen before, y'know?"

"I see." It only took those two words to recognise Laphicet; the moment she did, Edna immediately gave him a crushing embrace and a passionate kiss. Zaveid whistled in the background, but she could not care less. Laphi did the impossible, just like he promised he would. For her.

When they separated after what felt like eons, he gently wiped off her tears with a handkerchief; the moment Edna could see again, she found him wearing a gentle smile to match her radiant one. "It was supposed to be a surprise," he admitted sheepishly. "You're in luck, actually; he's here today. Come on." Again she followed without complaint, though holding Laphi's hand felt different to Zaveid's; it was smaller, smoother, and somehow made her feel warm inside.

"You lovebirds go ahead," the other seraph called after them. "I'll find you later."

Marching through the Crowe's Nest felt agonisingly slow this day, but they reached the upper floors eventually; Edna slowed down a little as her joy was overtaken by fear of being rejected again, but then she shook it off with determination. She was not a child anymore. Nonetheless, she let Laphi knock and enter first. "Ah, there you all are," he addressed the room cheerfully. "There is someone wanting to see you, Eizen."

"Who is it?" A dark voice queried; it was his without doubt; she still remembered it clearly. Laphi tugged at her hand and she followed to stand in the door with him; a group of four looked back in surprise, but the three women around the room were ignored. She only had eyes for her brother, who stood near a wall he was likely leaning against before. He had not changed one bit.

From one moment to the next, Edna closed the distance and slammed into his chest. Eizen could only hold onto her as she did with him; she felt she would never let go again. "Eizen...." There was no verbal response to her whisper, but his embrace tightened. At some point however, her elation faded; she had him back, but he would leave again. She knew he would. An ugly resentment bubbled up from beneath, mixing with disappointment and anguish. "How could you?"

Edna pulled back to seek her brother's eyes, vision growing blurry again. "How could you do this to me?" she asked him again. "I've waited for so long and when you did come back, you were a dragon!" A small fist slammed into his chest on the last word. "You're horrible!" Only now did he wince, but Edna merely hid her face against him again and started to weep.

All of a sudden, a hand ran over her head with gentleness she missed so long. "I know," he said, agreeing without argument. "I know what I did to you, but I did it anyway." The admission did not make her feel any better, she just cried into his chest.

"You're staying now."

"No, I won't."

"I don't care about your stupid curse!"

It was a familiar argument, one that they held over letters many a time. This time it felt different, his responses even more heartbreaking when given in person. Edna held on for dear life, being held in return.

At some point however, her brother shifted. His next words stopped even Edna's tears cold: "Why am I still alive?"

A familiar snort told her of Zaveid's presence. The wind seraph must have caught up. "The hell, man? Is it my fault you turned into the biggest, baddest dragon since Innominat? These things take time!" Edna just clung to her brother even more tightly, but he... laughed. It was not much, but she felt his reverberating chest under her cheek. How could he laugh about this? "Besides, how about you stop being an ass for now? There's three people in the room ready to tell you what for, in case you haven't noticed."

"Make that four," Velvet added; turning her head, Edna found the former therion entering just behind Zaveid. Margaret, Symonne, and Alisha all appeared just as unhappy; Laphi merely wore a blank mask.

Eizen sighed in defeat and set her down, kneeling in front of her. "I'm not going to stay," he repeated and her heart throbbed painfully, "but I'm not leaving just yet, either. Let's get to that when it's time and not right now, alright?"

She scowled back at him, but did not dare to give her brother the cold shoulder. Edna knew he would be gone the moment she tried. Having heard about his tendencies from various people however, a devious plan began to form. Edna forced herself to calm down at last and nodded curtly. Then she turned around and kissed Symonne in greeting, for everyone to see; her girlfriend smiled against Edna's lips, clearly aware what she was doing. "You're a naughty girl," Symonne teased quietly when they separated. She just grinned back, then glanced to her clearly agitated brother.

"Anyway, I have a girlfriend now," she told him matter-of-factly. "And Laphi is my boyfriend. And Symonne's boyfriend, too."

"I know."

"Too bad, this would have been better if you hadn't."

Zaveid started laughing about the way Eizen ground his teeth; Velvet joined him moments later and even Edna had to admit it looked funny. He never took that tone with her or had to fight for composure like that. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"...no."

A bird chose that moment to smash into and through the window, raining shards of glass onto Edna; Eizen scowled at once, but her own grin was undeterred as she wiped them off. She had realised how easy her brother was to tease. Therefore, Edna spent the next few hours doing just that to make up for lost time.

By the time they left, Zaveid was shaking his head at her. "You could've been a little nicer, y'know? Poor guy didn't know what to do."

She just shrugged back at him. "It's not like he didn't deserve it."

"It was her only chance anyway," Laphi added from Edna's right; seeing her growing worry, he quickly explained: "Velvet will probably give him some pointers how to deal with you in the future."

She nodded, relaxing slowly. Symonne slung an arm around her shoulder then. "Not to worry," she soothed Edna further. "I'm keeping an eye on him in the meantime. He won't run away that easily."

Thus reassured, she let herself be kissed by her boyfriend and girlfriend before following Zaveid through the portal back to Aifread's base. It had grown late by this point, but they quickly found their friends through following the laughter and song to a feast. Sorey sat with the bandit king and the Forton sisters, a black eye clearly visible; he perked up when they approached, Zaveid wincing. "Ouch. You pick a fight with Aifread?"

"I challenged him, old friend. That boy put up a good fight." Paying attention to Aifread, the older man was clearly in worse condition than Sorey. "Anyway, as I was saying, there's just no fun in robbing a lone traveler or two, you know? They usually don't have much on them, either."

"I see." The shepherd was clearly uncomfortable, though Edna decided to ignore his situation in favour of finding the others; Mikleo sat to the side observing people, Dezel stood near some kind of drinking contest... and Rose was in the middle of that same contest, swaying as she held up a mug victoriously; men and women cheered for her as another stumbled away.

Raising an eyebrow, Edna left the men to their conversation and trotted over; Dezel noticed her first, but Rose saw her soon after. "Eyyy, Edna! You wanna give it a go? Doubt you can beat my record, but there's nothing better than a good drink!" Some people looked around to find whoever Rose was talking to, but the hellions at the table quickly filled them in. Now normally, Edna would not consider alcohol, but after the day she had and having in mind that her brother would hear of this sooner or later, she figured she might as well. So she folded her umbrella and handed it to Dezel, then slid onto the bench to renewed cheers. A dozen filled pitchers were lined up before her while Rose leaned back smugly. "I've got ten down by now. Think you can beat me?"

When the redhead opened her eyes, Edna had already thrown back the first mug. The ale left a burning trail down her throat, but she felt little different from before. Arching her eyebrow again, she demonstratively patted her head. "You're a thousand years too early to challenge me," she told the flabbergasted woman, then grabbed for another pitcher. People began to cheer louder by the time she emptied the third and with the seventh, even Aifread and Sorey were heading over to watch.

Once the tenth mug was emptied and added to her little pyramid, she crossed her arms at Rose. "Well? Not so bad, huh?"

"...how? Is this a seraph thing or something? Can you get drunk at all?"

"Oh, sure they can!" Aifread chimed in, clapping Edna's shoulder heartily. Her head almost hit the table when she failed to keep her balance. "But that girl is Eizen's sister alright; the old dog could drink everyone else under the table!" While he reminisced too loudly for her liking, Edna grabbed another pitcher and finished it in one go before throwing it at his head.

"Shut up, you're too loud."

Aifread just laughed, all the while rubbing the spot she hit. Rose was tapping her finger against the table, but then she slumped. "Ugh, fine, you win, shorty. I don't want to get blackout drunk and b'sides, I've got other plans for the night." The other woman rose on somewhat shaky legs, turning her drained mug around to place it on Edna's head like a crown. "There you go, I'm gonna go have some fun now. You and you, show me a nice spot!" She pointed at a man and a woman almost randomly; the two stared at her, then at each other before shrugging and leading a pleased Rose away.

Sorey slowly settled down next to Edna while glancing between everyone. "Did she just... I mean, I got what happened there right, right?"

"Aye, you've got yourself an interesting friend there. She's a little rascal alright." The lamias threw Aifread looks for that comment while Edna leaned back. She had some trouble balancing her crown and felt something sticky in her hair, but did not mind; right now, she contemplated heading back for some fun of her own, but ultimately decided against it. For one, she was definitely drunk; her few experiments with offerings of alcohol people left on the Spiritcrest were enough to know that much. For two, poking fun at how flustered Sorey was sounded like a better idea for the moment. Or, well, she could go spy on Rose, too.

Edna paused for a moment, then decided to go through with that last idea after excusing herself. It was an... informative evening from then on. Although Edna needed a while before she could look her red-haired friend in the eyes again after sobering up. At least she learned a few things for later use.

They left Horsa the next afternoon, looking back at a set of interesting memories in all cases. For obvious reasons, Rose was the happiest of them all that day; Edna remained within Sorey to wait out her hangover, however a seraph's body could reproduce that effect. It hurt far less while incorporeal. By herself however, she knew she had to see her brother again sometime soon. Now that he was back, Edna would not let him vanish again, no matter what it took.

 

[Naron]

"I am not going to apologise for the words I spoke two weeks ago. But I believe I begin to understand why you do not wish to be near your sister."

Alisha stared into their oversized campfire after saying her piece; the flames crackled almost merrily that evening, as if to mock her. A boar the size of her slowly turned over it, freshly killed after trying to tear the four of them to shreds. "This makes seven giant beasts I never knew existed coming for us."

She earned a snort from Eizen and a groan from Symonne. "Or the dragon that almost landed on top of us when its wing cramped up," the water seraph added.

"Or the sudden earthquake and chasm opening up beneath us." Margaret threw up her hands in exasperation. "I didn't even know there were underground tunnels beneath Aifread's Hunting Grounds!" Alisha quietly agreed with her friend; many horrifying things happened these past months, with them only still alive through a mixture of luck and being inhumanly powerful. The dragon still gave them an incredible fight and a hunt over several days to prevent its rampage through Lothringen.

"It certainly isn't pulling its punches," Eizen agreed with them solemnly. "It never does." He put aside the book he was reading before to shrug at them, then pulled out the coin he retrieved from Zaveid. "Back when I was traveling with Aifread's pirates, we lost fifty good men in three years to my curse. I don't care what you think of it, I'm not going to risk Edna's life like that." He flipped it, but the coin came up tails as always; then Eizen took note of Alisha's surprise, which drew an understanding smile. "I made my choice long ago and it hasn't changed."

"To the point you'd rather turn into a dragon and die?" Symonne inquired curiously, receiving a nod. Meanwhile however, the reminder of how long ago Eizen lived made Alisha wonder. Symonne shared a few bits and pieces about the Age of the Gods, but never much; perhaps, she reasoned, Eizen would be more accomodating.

"Say, Eizen? Would you indulge my curiousity about the last age?"

"Sure. Ask away."

She well noticed the odd looks her fellow women held, but paid them no mind; Alisha pondered what to ask first for a moment before deciding on her own role models. "Seeing that you were a pirate," she began carefully, "did you ever have to, well, clash with Shepherd Artorius? Or Saint Eleanor?" Her eagerness took over, which made her miss the grimace Margaret sported momentarily; Symonne and Eizen did not, though the reaper merely grinned back at Alisha.

"Oh, I met Artorius alright," he confirmed. "Even fought him a few times. There hasn't been a greater swordsman in the last thousand years."

"Greater than Margaret?!"

Her shocked question made him chuckle darkly in a way that drew heat to Alisha's cheeks. She was not just embarassed, though; by herself, she since admitted that Eizen was quite handsome. Meanwhile, Symonne laughed about both other women; Alisha for blurting out such praise and Margaret for blushing about it. The youngest of their group averted her gaze, fingers running over the pendant she never took off outside of bathtimes.

Once he was done laughing, he nodded. "Greater still. Margaret is too young to stand Artorius' equal, even if she could reach that high." Alisha's amazement received another odd reaction, though; Margaret kept her gaze averted, clutching the pendant. Eizen noticed as well and changed the subject: "Anyway, I've met Eleanor as well... but she ended up terrorising the crew in a different way. Speaking of her, I noticed that your spearwork is quite similar." Hearing him say so made warmth surge through Alisha; she could not help but smile.

"The style I was taught is said to be descended from hers directly. It seems this is true."

"It is."

"Who exactly was Saint Eleanor, then? What kind of person, I mean?"

Alisha leaned forward in anticipation while Eizen mused. "I'm never going to call her Saint," he began thoughtfully, "but she deserves the moniker nonetheless. Eleanor was upstanding and hard-working, fiercely loyal, but also willing to change her mind when she realised she was wrong. She was well-read, but never condescending about it; all the same, she loved to share her knowledge with others to help them improve." He paused there with Alisha hanging on his lips. "I first met her when she was your age, actually. I think she mellowed out over the years, but back then she could get quite hot-headed and abrasive when something got under her skin. Or someone, heh."

Eizen chuckled over some kind of memory he did not elaborate on; Alisha mulled over his words in the meantime. She also lamented the fact she would never get to meet this woman. "Hot-headed in which way?" she ended up asking. "You sound like you two were close."

"We were. The six of us made an odd group, but somehow our various talents and backgrounds helped in overcoming all hardships. It's a bit like the four of us now," he explained with a motion for Symonne and Margaret. "Humans, hellions, seraphim, all mixed together. None of us lived even remotely similar lives, yet somehow we found our way into the world together."

Symonne hummed at that, chiming in thoughtfully: "We argue a lot about our approach, yet none of us shy away from ugly truths or uncomfortable subjects. Like that?"

"Aye. But back to Eleanor, she had an odd sort of forcefulness about her. Back then, she got it in her head that the crew was not clean enough, so she single-handedly bullied dozens of grown men into looking after themselves." By this point, Alisha could not help but chuckle; the sound soon turned into haltless giggles. Eizen's already fond smile grew a size.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Velvet had a hand in that one," Margaret quipped, coaxing a laugh out of Eizen. The implications were not lost on Alisha however, whose eyes widened. Their previous subject was forgotten, the therion scrambling to put words together

"V-Velvet is that old?" The others turned back to Alisha, who backpedaled after realising what she said: "I mean, I figured she would be older than Sorey and I, and maybe any human, but I did not think, um, well...." Her babbling trailed off there, leaving behind an uncertain woman waiting for her friends to help.

The hesitant silence that followed was broken by Symonne, who shrugged at the other two. "I think it's only fair she learns of this. We all knew anyway."

"Wait, you did?" The grimace that followed was not intended and Alisha quickly smoothed out her features, but she knew her displeasure had been noticed. They knowingly left her out of this matter despite being aware of it. Velvet filled in everyone but her.

As if reading her mind, Symonne shrugged again: "Yeah, but it's not because she told all of us. We're just old enough to have met her back then." Her words were somewhat reassuring, though Alisha still felt a little down. She inclined her head regardless, forcing the bleakness away.

"I guess I can see that," Alisha answered thoughtfully, gaze wandering from Symonne back to Eizen. Then her eyes fell onto the only human in their group. "What about Margaret?" Just as she asked the question however, Alisha recalled past conversations. "Was your last life in the Age of the Gods as well?" Her friend paled considerably; Eizen and Symonne both frowned for some reason, which drew the therion's curiousity and then her displeasure. "Is this another matter only I was not informed about?" Truthfully, Alisha was starting to grow incensed about the secrecy regarding her. She understood keeping the Bloodwing Butterflies and the gods from her at first, but it took nary more than a week until she learned of both.

Margaret's gaze slowly rose from her lap, seeking not Alisha's but Symonne's. The water seraph arched an eyebrow almost condescendingly. "Did you really expect me not to figure it out?" she inquired gently; Alisha hesitated, uncertain where this was going. Symonne took her partner's hand. "Listen, I'm not stupid. Even if no one told me of your past memories, I'd have figured it out by now. You don't act fifteen. You learned a style since forgotten from a woman who can't actually reproduce the motions, then displayed near-mastery in it after but a few months." Margaret's expression fell, but Symonne did not stop or let go. "Your deepest feelings become mine whenever we armatise, I know you were anguishing about this for a long time. But honestly? I figured it out after Hexen Isle. You could have been Claudin himself otherwise, but he never knew how to operate the Caelix. Only three people did and I'm one of them."

The seraph girl made an expectant pause, but Margaret refused to respond; Alisha could clearly see the tears brimming in her eyes, all anger forgotten. Symonne embraced her friend, delivering the final verdict in a whisper: "And of the two that remain, I always knew you could not have been Melchior. You're too kind to have been him, past life or no. That only leaves Artorius."

The name echoed in Alisha's mind. She knew it, had known it since childhood. The man she so idolised, returned from beyond the grave in the form of a girl on the cusp of adulthood? For a moment, Alisha rejected the mere notion while also refusing to believe her friend a liar. As she made to ask however, a strong hand grasped her shoulder; Eizen mutely shook his head. Seeing how deadly pale Margaret had become, Alisha saw his point and kept silent.

Minutes passed as none of them moved.

"I'm... sorry," Margaret finally mumbled. Her arms hung limply in Symonne's embrace, face blank. "I'm sorry. I w-wanted to tell you, b-but... but...." She trailed off, her clear distress making Alisha's heart ache; the therion berated herself silently, she ought to have known this was not an easy subject. At the same time however, she did not understand why having been such a great man would bring Margaret such sorrow.

Eizen shook his head lightly, reading the questions right out of her face. "The greater the man, the greater the sins," he began gravely. Alisha's eyes widened at the implications while Margaret twitched. "The saviour did not fall easily or quickly, but in the end he did. His loss of faith in mankind may just be the greatest tragedy of that age."

Alisha had no words left; she wanted to know the details, but her younger friend appeared so frail the sight tied her tongue. All of a sudden, Margaret's expression firmed and she rose in a fluid motion. "I need some time to myself," she muttered while shuffling away. They watched her go with mixed feelings.

Once Margaret was out of earshot, Alisha turned to the seraphim with burning curiousity. "How bad was it? Just what exactly happened so long ago, and why was it written out of history?"

Eizen pondered her questions for a moment, busying himself with throwing more wood onto the fire. "You and Artorius are quite similar in some aspects," he began thoughtfully, much to Alisha's surprise. "Both upstanding people with an unquestionable force of will. But without all this," at which point he motioned for himself, Symonne, and Alisha's tail, "you might have ended the same way in a decade or two. Artorius was not born evil, but his life continued to rain on him until he broke." He had a point and she knew; life had been failure after failure before she became a therion. The one matter Eizen kept skirting around bothered her nonetheless.

"Then, if Shepherd Artorius was doing bad, who would stop him?"

"...the Lord of Calamity did." Symonne gave her a moment to digest that. "Weird times when the enemy of mankind ended up its saviour, no?"

"Certainly." She had no idea what else to say. In all her life, Alisha never once considered that a Lord of Calamity could be a force of good. "So history was twisted? Shepherd as the source of misdeeds and Calamity as the hero initially?" Symonne giggled in response, Eizen grinned; those reactions confused her.

"No," the earth seraph told her earnestly, "Velvet was no heroine. She never was."

"Wait, Velvet?"

"Yes, Velvet. The original Lord of Calamity, she who set the world ablaze in her rage and struck down Shepherd Artorius." Symonne nodded to Eizen. "That guy traveled with her. As did Eleanor Hume, whom you now call Saint."

"What you have to understand," Eizen took over then, "is that the times were different. There was no clear line between good and evil, just two sides fighting for what they believed in, willing to do whatever it takes to stand victorious." He huffed. "Shepherd and Lord of Calamity, they actually made up those titles to sell a hero and a villain to the common folk respectively."

"Worked well, didn't it?"

"Aye."

Despite their levity, Alisha had trouble following; she understood the words, but learning so much of what most of the world forgot left her reeling. Eizen gave her a minute to work through it before continuing: "Anyway, the lines are clearer today, but we saw that they are still blurry. People have all kinds of reasons to do as they do."

This she understood, at least. "Yes. Even I, whom you call upstanding, threw away my humanity, my mortality, my purity, all of that for power. Power that I plan to use well, but that many would still consider not worth what I gave up with nary a second thought. This is what you mean, yes?"

"...aye."

He threw her a grin over the grim commentary, which Alisha returned. She had yet to regret her choice and doubted she ever would. Into their momentary, companionable silence however, Symonne decided to tease: "Could it be you have a thing for the rogue-ish types? First Zaveid, now Eizen?"

Alisha chuckled in response, a little sheepish but aware the other woman had a point. In the end, she shrugged. "Perhaps a little?"

"Can't blame you, he is quite handsome."

Eizen rolled his eyes at them before focussing on Alisha. "I'm not the kind of man you want to be with, but you only need to speak up if you want to blow off some steam." He delivered the proposition so nonchalantly that Alisha needed a moment to even recognise it; she tensed up ever so slightly, uncertain how to respond while Symonne snorted. Then however, Alisha wondered why not; she had been pondering the matter for months now and from what she saw, Eizen was a good man.

"I would like that. Though I have to admit that I lack any experience in this matter. I hope you do not mind?" He told her no and Alisha felt a quiet relief as she smiled. "Very well. Perhaps I shall approach you tonight." Symonne actually stared at her now, as if Alisha grew a second head. The therion merely returned a kind smile. "I believe I can guess your thoughts. I noticed that I changed quite a bit, too."

"Good thing, that." The seraph girl rubbed her forehead, glancing between her two companions. "I didn't notice you changed that much, though. The human you would have been offended at the mere implication of sex."

"Ah, well... I like to think I would have had more self-control than that."

"But poor Margaret, she's the only one who actually has the need and only her hands for company."

"Actually...." Alisha trailed off, able to see the gears turning in Symonne's head. "Well, after the reasoned argument you and Edna made a few months ago, I spent much thought on the matter." This had taken a lot more introspection to work through; Alisha had been taught that she would one day marry a man so her family's line could continue. From there, she always assumed this was the way of the world but masked her distaste at the irregularity when encountering same-sex couples. Now that she encountered similar in her dear friend and lost her humanity, Alisha decided that such notions no longer mattered; she deemed them needlessly complicated and discarded them wholesale. "Do you think she would be amenable to me?"

Eizen shrugged and Symonne followed his example a moment later; they were interrupted by a shout however.

Margaret dashed for their camp, a gaggle of feral hellions hot on her heels; Alisha's eyes widened when she saw the bloody tears all over her clothes, surging to her feet in an instant. She rushed forward, hammering into the werewolf like a force of nature before it could strike again. Alisha had no weapon but her hands, grabbing the beast's shoulder and tearing it in two bloody chunks. The rest descended on her, an oversized snake being caught in Alisha's tail and quickly devoured. Their claws and teeth tore through cloth but failed to penetrate her skin, tentacles trying to ensnare her were torn off. Alisha spewed flame at a wolf, then a lizardman trying to hold her in place was blown away by Eizen's fist. He landed securely, chaining down the last three for Alisha to swallow whole.

The fight ended as fast as it began; Alisha blinked, finding no further enemies to kill. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Margaret already receiving treatment, then quickly devoured the hellions. "Are you alright?"

"I am, thank you. My belt got loose and slid off when I left earlier, and they ambushed me while I was thinking." Margaret made a face. "I really need to follow my own teachings and stay on guard."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Symonne soothed her. "Everyone makes mistakes when they're upset. You can't expect yourself to be perfect." Then she huffed and threw a smirk at Eizen. "Besides, it's never a dull day with the reaper around."

"You signed up for this."

Symonne stuck out her tongue at the other seraph, then ruffled Margaret's bloodstained clothes. "Those are probably a loss, but at least you're still decent. Speaking off, Alisha was asking if you'd want to do the nasty with her."

"Symonne!"

Alisha could not fight the blush that conquered her cheeks after that mortifying statement. She covered her mouth while Margaret became just as flustered, neither knowing how to react. Symonne just laughed at her discomfort, but there was nothing cruel about it; in a way, Alisha knew, she was trying to help. She had not lied, after all. Averting her gaze, the therion slumped. "W-Well, I was inquiring if you were interested. If just to experience it with another woman, I mean. Um, I am not good at this, I am sorry." She settled down on her bedroll, the evening sun casting long shadows over everyone.

The silence lasted a long time; only a few final rays of light remained by the time Margaret answered her gently: "I don't know." Looking up, Alisha found her friend fingering that pendant again. "I don't know if I can," she clarified. "I still remember my... my wife. Celica. I loved her more than life itself. Being with anyone else, I...." A single tear rolled down Margaret's cheek; surprisingly, it was Eizen who gently wiped it off.

"Don't force yourself," he reassured the hurting girl. Alisha felt far worse, not having known just how bad her request was before this point. Then however, Margaret embraced Eizen and put on a brave smile.

"Thank you, but it's okay. I just need more time to think, to come to terms with the life I used to live. Maybe then." Tear-filled eyes met Alisha's gaze next. "I will get back to you once I feel ready. But for what it's worth, if I ever do, I certainly would not mind you." The reassurance coaxed a grateful smile from Alisha.

Then Symonne opened her mouth to ruin it: "It's not like you need to marry whoever you have sex with, you know? You don't need to love them either. It's fun, it's nice, so liking your partner is enough. Stop making so much drama about it."

Unfortunately, those embarassing words kept repeating in Alisha's head for the night, an endless loop that only ceased when she fell asleep.

 

[Naron]

"I can't imagine how high the tower must have been when it still stood! Are you sure, Zaveid?"

"Yeah, absolutely sure. Lothringen was big." Zaveid strolled up the remnants of a giant staircase next to Sorey, sharing tidbits about what was now known as Lohgrin. "I mean, you can see how they fit an entire village into its base. That thing went at least two hundred metres upward. Not sure how they built it, though; I think it was with seraphic artes, but I never asked." He scowled at the empty air for some reason and Sorey left him be.

About three weeks passed since they parted with van Aifread and his people; he had yet to come to terms with the fact they let a group of bandits go, but Zaveid made very clear whom he would help in a fight. Add into that the several powerful hellions Aifread commanded and Sorey felt less awkward about the matter; he could take care of it somehow in the future, once Heldalf was defeated. Oddly enough, the amount of Malevolence around Zaphgott Moor had dwindled over those weeks they traveled. Even the ancient ruins they explored held surprisingly little darkness; hellions they found aplenty, but this only added to the overall peculiarity.

Now as they entered a singular, giant chamber at the area the staircase broke off, Sorey could not help but marvel at the almost pristine sight; a stone monolith stood opposite to the entrance, bearing writing that called him like a moth to flame. His beaming smile remained even when he failed to recognise the script; it may very well be Ancient Avarost, the most difficult tongue still known to man. Just the find itself was incredible. Sorey's fugue did not last long however; Dezel broke the moment as he sometimes did: "There is a compartment in the back. Too small for any of us to enter."

Zaveid confirmed it a moment later, then teasingly nudged Edna. "Well, maybe the little one here fits in there. Wanna give it a try and get the treasure?" The seraph girl stared up at him blankly until he let off with a chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'll get it."

"How would you-" Rose's question was interrupted by a sudden breeze; Zaveid's winds entered the hidden compartment and quickly carried out a gemstone. "-right, forgot about that. How did I forget about that?" No one answered Rose, the lot of them more absorbed by the pink crystal Zaveid held into the light. "Oh, is it actual treasure? I've never seen that kind of colour before, how do you think it got there?"

"It's an Iris Gem," Sorey told her giddily, almost tearing the device out of Zaveid's hand. "They're used to record history!" Going by the sigh she heaved, he was not getting through to her; Sorey tried again. "Rose! I mean actual scenes of history, not text or paintings! They are incredible! Just watch!" Before anyone could object, he channeled his mana into the gem until it shone brightly. He instantly knew when to stop, seeing as another scene overlayed on his vision.

The room vanished and he found himself under the open air, standing atop a giant temple right in front of an altar. And before him sat a dragon, his silvery scales gleaming in the sun. Gasps rang out, making it clear his friends were there even though he could not see them. The only human present was a woman about his age, clad in a flowing pink dress; an untamed wave of pale blonde hair cascaded down her back.

"Come ooooon!" she whined at Maotelus and threw out her arms. "Why not?!"

"Because it is dangerous," the dragon returned in a surprisingly light voice.

"That's subjective and you know it! I can handle it!"

They kept... bickering like this, and was that not an odd way to think of a Great Lord. Sorey hardly had any time to marvel at the majestic figure because he tried to listen in at the same time; he quickly shushed Rose when she tried to talk over the memory.

"How about you tell me the truth?" the dragon ultimately asked. "We both know the history books you compiled are more than enough to pass knowledge to future generations." Sorey felt like he detected a sense of annoyance in how he said this; it may be a common argument those two had. Hearing them talk about books however, the slow realisation who he was watching made his eyes grow wider still.

"Alright, fine! I'm tired of taking notes and losing them over time. Happy now? Come on, you've got nothing to do without a Lord of Calamity active, anyway! Lemme just copy some stuff out of the Earthen Historia, that's better for my practical tests, too!" Sorey tried to move while she spoke and felt himself pass distance, but the scene remained in place to his eyes. Just as he came to stand again, he heard the most defeated sigh ever uttered. A silver-scaled paw reached out to the woman, then cut the air right next to her with but one claw. It left behind a rift that oscillated between orange and red.

"At your own risk," he muttered. "Please be careful, Magilou."

"Oh, don't worry your scaly little head over me. I'll be fine!" The scene then moved, positioning Sorey right next to the grinning lady as she inspected the rift. Her whispered addition was clearly not meant for the dragon: "But I'm definitely keeping this scene, just so I can see the face you made again and again."

On the last word, they were in Lohgrin again. Sorey swayed back and forth for a moment as his senses made sense of the change; he glanced between his friends, saw Edna's and Mikleo's thoughtful expressions. Rose grinned before breaking into chuckles, as did Zaveid.

"Ah, she never changes," the wind seraph got out after a moment. Upon seeing the bewildered looks from Mikleo and Sorey, he shrugged. "Met the lady a few times. Magilou Mayvin, bet you heard of her." Sorey just nodded dumbly, now having confirmation. He wandered away from his friends then, slumping against the monolith. Mikleo's gaze followed him trying to make sense of the world.

"Poor Sorey," he heard his brother mutter. "He has looked up to the Grand Historian Mayvin since he was little."

"And he just saw his idol pester a Great Lord into this," Edna added with dry amusement.

Rose shrugged, mostly nonplussed by the news. "Well, nerds gotta nerd. I like her though. She's a great nerd!"

"Say, Zaveid? How long ago did Mayvin live?" Mikleo's question managed to draw Sorey out of his minor crisis for a moment; he stared at the wind seraph, who shrugged under everyone's attention.

"'Bout a thousand years ago, give or take a few," he explained nonchalantly. "She's been around when the Age of the Gods ended. One hell of a woman, her. Could run circles around the lot of us if she wanted to." He then fell silent, clearly refusing to say more; Sorey picked up on it, but so did Rose.

"Hey, any reason you're always saying these cryptic things when we ask you about the past? I'm kinda curious about her now, you know?" She was clearly not happy when Zaveid just shrugged at her; much to everyone's surprise, Mikleo took his side.

"We did just find out that one of greatest names of an age was nothing like we thought she was. Chances are the past was different than most people remember, so maybe he doesn't want to break our beliefs any more than that?" There was a momentary silence as everyone considered Mikleo's suggestion.

"...that's a lot of thought you attribute to him there, Mibu."

"Hey now, cut it out. He's right! I'm doing you guys a favour here!"

Sorey could not help but wonder. He studied Zaveid for a moment, having found a gap in his reasoning. "But we already know that Mayvin wasn't like we imagined. You could tell us a bit more about her anyway, right?" The other man barked out a laugh and motioned for him to ask, so Sorey did: "If she lived during the Age of the Gods, does that mean she knew Artorius? Eleanor, maybe?" He somehow doubted Claudin, but Zaveid likely knew more regardless.

"Huh, good question. She and Eleanor were traveling companions, of a sort. Constantly bickering, those two. Mayvin liked to rile people up." Zaveid frowned thoughtfully while Sorey drank in every word; it was not much, but he could never learn any of this from books. "She knew Artorius too, but they weren't on good terms. Bit of a situation back then." For some reason, Mikleo's face lost all expression and turned into the blank mask he always adopted when trying to hide something. No one else noticed, but Sorey's gaze turned to his brother at once and made them aware. Zaveid shook his head before the shepherd could even ask. "Don't bother, I think I know what he figured out and it falls under his Oath."

"And what is it, Zaveid? You're not under Oath after all." Rose merely received a conceited grin and no response, to which she pouted. "Spoilsport...."

Mikleo had dropped his odd expression in favour of wonder by this point. "That aside," he began slowly, "it's a little weird how greatness often comes bunched up like that. Artorius, Eleanor, and Mayvin all existed in the same time." He had a point, although Zaveid huffed almost immediately.

"It ain't that weird, kid. Outrageous times require outrageous people. They became so important 'cause they were strong enough to survive back then, so they had a future after throwing their lot in fighting for it."

That made sense to Sorey as well, although he wondered just what made that age so dangerous. Rose apparently had similar thoughts, going by her question: "Was it that much more dangerous than today is?"

"Yes and no," Edna chimed in as Zaveid opened his mouth. She was facing the monolith, absently stroking the small plush toy on her umbrella. "The challenges today are different, so you can't compare it that easily. What I can say for sure is that our little kittybeard doesn't compare to the giants of back then... don't ask. Curiousity killed the cat."

"What she means to say is she was busy being a hermit back then, so all she knows is what Eizen wrote her." The quip earned Zaveid a glare, who laughed it off. "But yeah, looking at it, things just aren't the same anymore. I think that one old bastard called that humanity would regress when the Lord of Calamity blew up the only site to mine flamestone, and he was right. Technology regressed, one empire split into two at war with each other, and for some reason there has been no true champion ever since."

They all pondered this for a moment; Sorey was not entirely sure if it was meant as an insult, though he could see Zaveid's point. Dezel broke the contemplative silence, the first time he injected himself in the conversation: "What exactly do you mean? We have plenty powerful people in this age."

"Ain't the same, buddy. Just, uh, look here." Zaveid pointed at Sorey, who straightened up under the attention. "World's in a pinch, Lord of Calamity is entrenched and working toward victory. This is our shepherd; some boy from out in the boonies who hasn't seen another human for most of his life, who's barely proficient with his sword, no offense Sorey-" "None taken" "-and his resonance is nothing to write home about either. Heck, I think Rose's is greater than his." His assessment hurt, but it completely fit in with the qualms Sorey fought with every now and then. "Now let's look back, last time there was a threat that severe? Artorius was shepherd then, and Eleanor succeeded him right after. Now think of all the shepherds in-between, you remember even one of 'em? What were their names?"

No one responded for a while; Zaveid leaned back against the wall with a shrug, his point made. Mikleo tried to defend his brother anyway: "You don't have to be so negative about it. Sorey is constantly improving and works hard to-"

"That's beside the point. Like it or not, the fact Sorey is shepherd means he's probably the best this age has to offer." Once he was done interrupting Mikleo, he turned to the subject of their discussion: "And just so we're clear, I'm not saying you suck. You're doing fine, 'specially with your circumstances. But you wouldn't compare yourself to a guy like Artorius, would you?"

"...no, not really." He knew he was not that great. With everything they just learned however, he wondered about something else: "Do you have any idea what could have made people regress like that?"

Unfortunately, Zaveid merely shrugged again. "Beats me. I just know how it is." He frowned in thought before stepping forward to clap a hand on Sorey's shoulder. "I guess the point of it is that you're not on par with the old giants, probably never will. So don't try to pull the same kind of weight, do what you can." His grin took the sting out of that patronising comment. "Honestly, I've seen some shepherds over the years. Usually come in two types, the saviour and the preserver. First type is the kind I'd say has the drive and power to save the world if need be, second type is better suited to keeping everything going and improving what's there. I'd say you're more of a preserver than a saviour."

He never thought of it like that; in Sorey's mind, being the shepherd meant to save the world. To protect it... but preservation was never a part of the big picture, even though it should have been. However- "Which is bad if the world does need saving. Who saves the saviour?" Edna gave them a moment to digest her interjection, turning around with a smug little grin. "Safe bet you're going to be in trouble if you can't save yourself from it. So save us all exactly that trouble and don't try to do more than you can."

Blunt as usual. Sorey could not help but sigh. "I know you don't mean anything bad, but this is still depressing. If we knew what led to people regressing, then we might be able to do something about it." At least he could distract himself with knowledge for a while. "You said something about, uh, was it firestone? What was that?"

Zaveid had no answer this time; curiously enough, Edna piped up when he remained silent: "Wait a moment." She then closed her eyes and fell still, expression shifting minutely as the seconds passed. Everyone watched her, but no one knew what she was doing. Then, suddenly, Edna spoke: "Flamestone was harvested at the foot of Mt. Killaraus, far up north. The volcano held its only known deposit. Mixing it with sulfur yielded gunpowder to operate naval cannons, think a more powerful ballista. Mixing it with oil yielded fuel to power engines with, which could bring up far more power than human muscle."

She fell quiet and opened her eyes, beholding her surprised companions. Sorey made sure to memorise everything he just heard, leaving it to Rose to ask questions: "What did you just do? No way all of this was just at the back of your mind, memory doesn't work like that."

"For some it does," Edna retorted smugly while rolling her umbrella. "But if you must know, that was my blessing at work. I can call back fond memories in others, and always remember my own in perfect clarity. That was from one of my brother's letters."

"Ohhh!"

From this point onward, the conversation turned to lighter subjects; Rose kept badgering Edna about her blessing's specifics, Sorey listened in idly, and the lot of them left the room to seek people in need of help. Over the following week however, he realised that there was little for him to do this far out; Malevolence was on the decline, Heldalf made no apparent moves, and they found nothing noteworthy on the journey back to Pendrago either. Due to already having done everything along the way, they reached the capital within three weeks, just as Spring turned to Summer.

Moreover, they made it in time to join the expedition if he so wanted. The evening of their arrival in Pendrago, all of them were seated at the inn they chose to stay at to discuss the matter.

"I mean, I know there's less Malevolence all around," Rose argued with a frown, "but shouldn't we focus on Heldalf anyway? Who knows what he's up to."

"You've got a point, but we might find something useful on that island. I'm not much of a ruin diver like Sorey is, but I can tell ya there's often useful stuff in the older ones. Might give us an edge."

"Perhaps literally if we find a sword." Edna grinned at Zaveid, who rolled his eyes. Sorey quietly had to agree with the wind seraph's point, though he hardly liked the exploration for its promise of loot. Then however, Edna surprised him: "Anyway, we worked hard for a while now. A vacation won't end the world." She grew defensive upon seeing the owlish looks from everyone directed at her.

"Heh, sounds like having some sweethearts makes you lighten up a tad." Ducking under Zaveid's headpat, Edna scowled at him. Everyone could tell there was more heat in her cheeks than anywhere else. Mikleo came to her rescue, having grown fond of their little gremlin as far as Sorey could tell.

"She has a point. Margaret, Alisha, and Symonne are holding down the fort just fine, so we should take the breather while we can." That more or less settled it for Sorey, who felt a majority decision ought to be enough; Dezel withheld any comment, stating he was fine with either choice when asked.

While they prepared and met the scholars again the following day, Rose ran off to meet with her Sparrow Feathers in town. She reappeared oddly sullen, muttering about jerks not telling her what odd customer they were dealing with; her mood reverted to normal by the time they left the city, escorting those same scholars to port Anselm. Sorey had not been there before, but he immediately adored the small coastal township. It was more of a fishing port than a trade hub, what with Glenwood being a supercontinent, but the people appeared happy as could be.

It took a few minutes to reassure the captain there was not another phony shepherd on board, though it was thankfully as easy as having Mikleo create various shapes out of water from the harbour. They were welcomed with great joy afterward and the ship set out.

. .
. .​

"And of course she isn't in reach anymore." Eguile's head was buried in his arms, the tired man resting on a sturdy table. "Left port just yesterday. We should have just told her instead of being coy." The men and women around him winced, well aware he chose not to risk being overheard relaying this intel. They all knew Eguile had hoped their investigation would turn up nothing.

Before him sat the compiled data on Velvet Crowe, a woman who by all accounts did not exist until two years before. No one ever met her before then, no one knew who she was, and by her appearance as well as her actions she clearly was an individual people would remember. She worked for the Bloodwing Butterflies, a shadow guild that grew from nothing to infamy rivaling the Scattered Bones only after her arrival from nowhere. There were few other suspicious matters about her, but this just made more apparent she tried to keep a low profile. Perhaps she destroyed evidence of her own existence. Unfortunately, Eguile could not even begin to guess what, or from what she might be hiding.

Sighing, he straightened up and wished this had come in earlier. This should not be his choice to make, at least not without asking Rose's opinion. Yet she was off on a journey for at least a month, likely more; his gut told him time was of the essence. It also insisted that Velvet Crowe was seriously bad news. The job was necessary.

Unaware of the orders given in these moments however, the woman in question was busy teaching her therion how to cook.

Alisha had taken well to the most important lesson, not to experiment with the recipe until she knew her way around a kitchen better. She eagerly absorbed every bit of knowledge Velvet imparted, finding joy in the simple repetition of preparing food for a meal. Just like her teacher, she delighted in others liking her cooking; it gave her some confidence and helped push the traitorous voice of her mind back down. Alisha was useful, she could get things done just fine. She was more than just a tool or a scapegoat now.

Seated near the two women that could take the world and win, Laphicet and Symonne were cuddling as they waited for a batch of cookies to finish baking. They were just as content, if a little morose for missing Edna in their moment of relaxation.

Eizen had run off to explore Lastonbell in the meantime, finding it greatly different from the original Stonebury. Margaret played his guide, receiving greetings and respect wherever she went; few bothered her for long however. As alienating as seeing her chatter at thin air may appear, all knew her attention focussed on the seraph accompanying her.

And half a continent away, a warrior of great renown pointed her spear at the nonplussed Nica.

 

[Naron]

Hyaci Maltran was calm; a part of her pitied the old woman standing in front of her speartip, but it had little say. She took notice of how calm the elder remained and discreetly eyed her surroundings for any tricks or ambushes. The small woodland she picked for this moment revealed nothing of the like, but looks could be deceiving. Old Nica was well known to meander through these parts for hours.

"Now, what makes you do that, sweetheart? You were always such an unruly-" "Shut up."

The older woman fell silent, waiting for Hyaci to explain; despite everything, she would grant her this courtesy as all deserved to know why they were to die. "I do not know what exactly you did to Symonne, but now that I have confirmation she was seen working against us, I know it was your influence initially." Hyaci's curt voice coaxed no discernible reaction from Nica at first; the momentary silence broke only when a wide grin broke through and the elder cackled in clear amusement. Hyaci could not help but gawk.

"My, oh my, it took you long enough!" This blew away her final doubts, though this mirth in the face of death unsettled Hyaci greatly. It made her hesitate and wonder.

"You are in a surprisingly good mood for one that is about to die."

The elder laughed at her again, agitating and humbling the Blue Valkyrie in the same breath. When she spoke, it was with a certainty born of ancient wisdom: "Sweetie, I have lived a long, long time. I've seen so much, and done even more. I can't run from the end forever, even if I gave it a good attempt. I'm already far beyond my time; if I die today, so be it. But don't you ever forget this, Hyaci: before death, we are as equals." Her grin grew more feral, Nica's words and posture ringing alarm bells in Hyaci's mind. Well-honed instincts screamed at her about danger she could not see. "But you might be misunderstanding. I am not just giving you my life."

Two tiny seraphim materialised, the purple one with top hat standing in front of their mistress, the grey-furred one with pointy hat behind her. Two dozen paper figures floated out of the elder's sleeves, dancing around her in circles of twelve while hundreds of glittering spheres formed in front of her. "If you want it," she declared to the befuddled warrior, "you have to come and take it! Face the face of eternity, Magilou Mayvin!"

Lightning flew before she registered the battlecry as such, scorching Hyaci's dominant hand. She earthed herself to direct it downward, then charged right at the shield; soft ground broke under her feet, crumbling to dust from the shock of impact. Nica stood unmoving, the tip stopped but a finger's width from her chest. "This is as close as you will get," she taunted Hyaci, just as something heavy hammered into her gut.

Realigning in mid-air, she found the top-hat Normin land in a crouch. Mana surged around the tiny creature as it followed her descent; Hyaci broke her fall against a tree whose massive trunk splintered, then dashed forward again. Hails of icicles greeted her, shot with pinpoint accuracy that she barely dodged. Several punctured her arm and cheek before quickly growing paper slammed down where she just stood. She lashed out on instinct, cutting another guardian apart as it made to close the hole.

Nica gave her no chance to recover or assess the situation. The elements rained down all around her in an unending wave, from spears of ice and water to orbs of wind. The very ground Hyaci fought on rose under the elder's will, reforming constantly to box her in and bury her alive. Were it not for several high jumps and the thick canopy to climb in, their fight would have been over already. Hyaci managed to bypass it all nonetheless, dodging a mistimed lightning strike that singed the tip of her braid; on the approach however, that Normin slammed into her weapon and bent it apart. Hyaci twirled into a sweeping kick to send him flying, but received fist-sized chunks of ice to her side in exchange. Nica cackled condescendingly behind her shield, still in the spot she was when it all began. The second Normin kept channeling power into her.

This was not a fight. It was a wild chase, with Hyaci as the rabbit! She danced around various projectiles again, approaching once more to slam into Nica's shield without passing through; her weapon was completely bent out of shape, so she threw it at the elder in order to disengage. Spears of bedrock surged upward right where she just stood. Trees fell around them as their roots were torn apart, giving Hyaci an idea.

When next she dodged near a fallen trunk, she flipped behind it for cover and ignored Nica's taunts. Gripping the sturdy wood, Hyaci quickly lifted it up and threw the tree forward like one would splash water, no regard for form in favour of speed. She dashed for a second one before the first even impacted, hearing more than seeing the crash as it broke apart upon Nica's shield. For her second improvised javelin, she held and aimed it properly first. A paper guardian hammered into her arm and broke it, but she held on; Hyaci took three steps, braced, and threw. This time she saw all the remaining guardians form a rotating shield, half torn apart as the tree went through Nica's first defense. The purple Normin kicked away her slowed projectile, splintering it.

In this moment, her own foot impacted the seraph and a wave of Malevolence coated the other one, interrupting their power boost. The reappearing shield spheres faded away, Nica's eyes widening ever so slightly. Hyaci darted forward, bereft of a weapon but not out of options; she reached the elder after ducking under a guardian's slam and powering through another breaking her nose. Her fingers set together, she stabbed the good hand forward... and felt the hot wetness of a living body more than she saw it.

Silence engulfed the clearing they made. Slowly, Nica's guardians covering her face fell away; Hyaci's heart pounded as she beheld her handiwork, one arm having punched straight through the elder's chest. She pulled back, making the woman drop. Spell circles faded out around them, guardians dropping like puppets with their strings cut.

Hyaci stared her opponent in the eyes and saw a myriad of unreadable emotions. Nica did not breathe, could not breathe with her lung and heart torn. Blood soaked the ground beneath her, mixing with Hyaci's own on her arm. She flicked the limb once to get some of it off, stepping back and wincing as torn muscles and cracked ribs complained at her. The Normin ignored Hyaci, racing to their fallen vessel's side; she used their distraction to limp away, trying to nurse her many injuries.

Deep down, she was in shock; waking up this morning, Hyaci expected a quick judgement and execution. What she got was the most demanding fight of her life, against a woman who was old already when she was a girl. Skill alone kept her beyond Hyaci to match, victory more a stroke of luck and a clever trick than superiority. The most accomplished warrior of Hyland shuddered, wondering just what would have happened if Nica had been in her prime.

Limping away and planning how to hide the injuries she could not have healed quickly, Hyaci left behind a scene of destruction and two Normin. Neither of these two knew what to do or what to say; they accompanied Magilou Mayvin for a thousand years, saw living and dead history by her side and even fought down a god. Now their dearest friend lay dead, her last breath spent separating their bonds as if she ever planned it. Neither could turn away from the sight of her gored body, the soft relaxation of death so long evaded on her features.

Grimoirh placed a paw on Bienfu's, a silent means of comfort that failed to stop the tears staining his fur, or hers. They were alone for the first time in a thousand years; it felt jarring, not to have their bond anymore. Night fell before long, but they failed to notice; though the ruptured ground and felled trees faded from view in the darkness, their dead friend remained burned into their retinas. All that changed was how their tears ran dry in time.

Be it the malakhims' woe or the world itself paying its respect, not a single critter approached the fallen giant during their silent watch.

Bienfu slumped when the sky began to brighten, taking off his hat; Grimoirh mimicked him a moment later, then they embraced each other. They did not know or care which of them initiated the motion.

Then there was light.

A gentle shine enveloped the inconsolable seraphim before abruptly fading away. By the time they realised what their senses told them, a tiny flame illuminated the half-dark, held over a slender hand. Slowly, ever so slowly, Bienfu and Grimoirh turned toward the new presence; their eyes grew wide in unison at the woman sat in front of them. She stared back almost blankly with curious green eyes, head tilted ever so slightly. Pale blonde hair framed her face and ran down her body, it being the only covering she possessed; smooth, pale skin shone in the light, shadows dancing with the crackling flame. The sun picked this moment to crest the horizon, its first rays welcoming the newborn seraph.

Her flame flickered out as more light began to fill the forest, revealing a svelte, youthful woman. Soon however, she broke eye contact while the Normin remained frozen in shock; her gaze was drawn to the corpse by her side, likely from the smell it began to emanate. Flinching, the woman scooted backward. "W-What happened here? Who is that?! And who are you?"

Even her voice sounded just as it always had, if more hysteric. The frantic questions finally tore the Normin out of their stupor. Bienfu quickly hopped up and traipsed over to the newborn, calling out to her: "Hey, hey! It's okay, you're safe! Don't worry! It's me, Bienfu!" When his name only earned a confused stare, he beamed up at the seraph. "Come on, don't you remember me? Or Grim?" The seraph slowly shook her head, replacing Bienfu's momentary relief with another bout of grief. "Oh."

Grimoirh, being more composed, shook her head as she approached. "It is only natural she would not remember," she chastised her friend. "Few do. Do not be alarmed, my dear; we were mourning our friend."

"But Grim, she's-" "shush."

The unnamed seraph studied them a moment longer before nodding; she crouched next to the lifeless body with quivering eyes, sparking hope of remembrance once more and dashing it right after: "That poor old lady. Who would do such a thing?"

Neither Normin knew how to respond; they were aching on a primal level now, but they soldiered on much like she would have. Grimoirh approached the newborn and reached for her hand; it closed around her paw without hesitation. "Are you a fire seraph?" Seeing her nod, the Normin gently coaxed her to stand. "Then may I ask something of you? I do not wish for my friend to rot and decompose like this; macabre as it may be, would you lend us your flame to cremate her?" She received another soft nod; tears ran down the woman's face as she channelled her flame forward without hesitation.

"Rest in peace," she murmured while engulfing the body in flame; Bienfu made sure the fire would not spread, its heat quickly cooking the ground. No one spoke as they watched clothes and flesh turn to ash, wincing when bones cracked and splintered. The unnamed seraph began to sweat halfway through, but remained on her feet until it was done; when her flames cut off and she slumped to the ground in exhaustion, Bienfu produced a handkerchief to wipe her face with.

Meanwhile, Grimoirh pondered the situation; as much as she would want to continue grieving, she had to take the necessary steps first. Once her friend was done tending to their unexpected charge, she spoke up with forced calm: "Bienfu, take her to Lastonbell. She will be safe there."

"Um, it's okay. I can just be on my way, I don't want to bother you two any more. I already intruded on, uh, this here," she motioned for the ashen remains of their friend, already dispersing through a gentle breeze. "I'm really sorry about that." She then made to turn around, but halted and began to blush over her entire body. "Except I don't really know where I am... or who I am. Who am I?"

"That's right," Bienfu chimed in with eagerness to play over his devastation, "she needs a name, doesn't she?"

"All in due time," Grimoirh retorted gently. "I feel it would not be appropriate for either of us to name her." She then addressed the lost seraph. "It is no problem for us to help with your first step, little one. We can take you to a place that will be happy to have you and teach you. If you do not wish to pick your own name, I am sure someone there will find one for you as well."

"Oh, really?" The way her face lit up reminded Grimoirh of the little girl Bienfu sometimes told her about; the one that was already broken before Melchior Mayvin got his hands on her. "Okay then! Thank you!" She was pulled up into a tight but warm hug, a gesture Magilou had been ever so loathe to give. Bienfu jumped into it moments later and despite the jarring experience, it was a bit of comfort.

After sending them off ahead to the nearest teleportation gate, Grimoirh made her way back to Ladylake; there were various items to be removed from 'old Nica's' house before anyone realised she had died.

. .
. .​

They brought Velvet out of the kitchen just before lunch preparations were done; at first she was annoyed, but upon seeing the half nude seraph girl being dressed by shapely Bell, her thoughts derailed. She could not help but stare at the familiar face, prevented from approaching by her brother. Alisha had followed and their presence quickly drew the rest of her group; Eizen's face clouded over at her sight.

"Odd," Symonne commented, "I could have sworn I saw her before, but she's a newborn, right? Wait." The water seraph's eyes focussed on Bienfu crumbled on a nearby chair, forlorn and alone. "Wait." Her voice broke as she put the pieces together while Velvet felt her own heart break; she understood it too, without any need for explanation. Tears clouded her vision for a moment, but she quickly wiped them off and forced herself to calm down. Laphi let her go in favour of taking Symonne's hand.

Once free to move, Velvet made to question Bienfu; unfortunately, her motions drew the unnamed seraph's attention. Now fully dressed in soft red and gold, she offered them all a shy smile. "Oh, um, hello. It's nice to meet you. The nice lady said I can stay here for a while, is that okay?" When she noticed Eizen's near-glare however, she wilted and hid behind the amused Bell with a squeak. "I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong?!"

Velvet threw her old friend a glare, which at least made him school his features. He shook his head. "No," he reassured the fretting seraph. "It's nothing you did."

"Ignore Eizen," Margaret chimed in with a gentle smile. "He always looks that way. I'm Margaret, nice to meet you." The young blonde's disposition coaxed the even younger one out of her hiding spot. "What's your name?"

"Oh, um, I don't have one yet. Could... is your friend alright?" A sob had distracted the seraph, whose attention focussed on Symonne; Velvet felt for the girl currently crying on her brother's shoulder. Instead of joining her however, she slowly approached Magilou's remnant with a smile of her own.

"Symonne just lost a dear friend. Give her some time to come to terms with it all and she will be alright." It was odd to see her old friend's face on a woman who shied away from her imposing figure for a moment; Velvet's friendly tone stopped the seraph from hiding away again, however. She took her hands. "And yes, you can stay here as long as you want." The bright, unburdened smile gave her even more whiplash, but she soldiered on.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I didn't know where else I would go! Thank you, miss!" The girl cheered, then embraced her without hesitation. Velvet tensed for a moment before returning the gesture. Next to her grief, she began to understand that who she now held was free. Just like Seres ceased to be Celica, this one no longer was Magilou; more than that, without any memories she was free.

"Is it alright if I name you?"

"Yes, please! I'd like a cute name!"

She chuckled, stroking the enthusiastic girl's back. "I'm not sure I can do cute, but let's see." Taking in the bright smile and clothes, Velvet could not help but ask: "You're a fire seraph?" She received a series of nods and had to stop herself from huffing. Magilou had burned ever so brightly. Perhaps a term related to fire would do just right. "Enya, then. You are Enya."

"Enya," she tested her new name curiously before beaming again. "I love it! Thank you again! Oh, what about my true name?" All the resident seraphim tensed up at once; Symonne even stopped crying to stare in befuddlement, though Enya took no notice of it. She focussed on Velvet, who was a little surprised as well.

"Do you really want me to choose your true name?" Enya nodded eagerly. "It's a deeply personal thing, isn't it?" A shrug was all she got. Velvet sighed. "Alright. Laphi? Get over here and translate something for me." Her brother grimaced, but followed; Symonne did the same but split off to give them space, which put her right next to the giddy Enya. While the siblings conferred however, their new arrival offered Symonne a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Do you want another hug?"

Velvet exhaled slowly, trying to hide her pained smile from the room; Laphi had to do the same when his girlfriend accepted the offer, now being cradled by the reincarnation of her lost friend. They got to business right after and Laphi translated several terms and titles; at first she went with themes related to Magilou, but soon realised that would not be appropriate for a new life. Then she had an idea and called Bienfu over, the morose seraph simply nodding when she proposed her idea. Laphi liked it too. 'Enya the Free', Ubva shu twuu. She could work with that.

Once they were done, Velvet returned to Enya, who gingerly let go of Symonne; Laphi immediately snatched his girlfriend away and dragged everyone out of the room. Enya folded her hands in anticipation; once the door closed, Velvet put both hands on her shoulders. "If you're really fine with me naming you, here goes. You are Vashu Wuu, 'Enya the Free'." The seraph girl's eyes glazed over momentarily, but her own smile did not diminish in the slightest. She jumped up and down once it was done, being led outside to where everyone was waiting, where she curtsied somewhat clumsily.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Enya! Thank you for letting me stay here with you!"

She then went to introduce herself to everyone separately before Bell coaxed her away with the promise of a tour around the place. Silence reigned after she left, broken only when Symonne dropped to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. "Why is it that everyone I care about ends up dead?" she asked no one in-between sniffles. Laphi settled by her side and Margaret took the other, both wrapping arms around her to offer comfort.

"I might have missed something," Alisha admitted after studying the grave expressions all around. "Who is this seraph?" Symonne blubbered Nica's name and the therion's eyes widened as pieces clicked together for her. Velvet put a steadying hand on her shoulder, Eizen mirroring her gesture.

"Today is a sad day for Desolation," he drawled, clearly trying to blink away his own tears. Velvet could only nod her agreement. She soon noticed Bienfu sitting by Symonne's side and scooped up the oddly cheerless Normin.

"What happened, Bienfu?"

"..."

He stared up her helplessly, but a bark of derisive laughter prevented him from responding. Symonne's listless eyes were on them all. "It's my fault," she declared, immediately shushing Laphi and Margaret from trying to dissuade her. "I left a name off the list for Hyland." That got everyone's attention, though she continued to babble at first: "And she knew where I went. She was the only one who knew. I should have said something, but I thought... I...." The girl trailed off, slumping further.

"Who, then?" Malevolence surged around Alisha, clearly tasting of anger. It did not last long, though.

"Hyaci Maltran."

The therion recoiled as if someone slapped her in the face. Eyes widened in horror, she stared at Symonne. "W-What?" When no response came, no admission of a joke, she began to take shuddering breaths and clutched her chest. "Lady Maltran?"

"Yes," Bienfu confirmed into the dazed silence. "She came at us in the forest... and she won." He had trouble talking about it, so Velvet squeezed him gently until another voice interrupted them.

"Rain plagues Ladylake. Even the world is shedding tears for the passing of Magilou Mayvin, the grand historian." Grimoirh toddled into the corridor they all frequented, carrying an old book in her hands. The pointed hat hid her eyes from them as she approached. "In accordance with her wishes, I have removed any... problematic matters from her home. Her body was incinerated, if in a somewhat unorthodox way. Has that girl been given a name yet?"

She stopped in front of Velvet, who nodded slowly. "She is Enya now."

"Good. Let her be free of the past, it is better this way. Now, Laphicet?" The boy straightened up slightly, then received the book and a small pouch from Grimoirh. "I believe these should help you in the future. And this, well, I remember where it came from." He received both items reverently, though there was an odd sort of expression on him when he felt the ancient tome; Velvet needed to see Innominat's crest on the cover to realise why it felt familiar.

"What's that? Why this book?"

Symonne's curiousity was fleeting, but at least she had been distracted from hating herself momentarily. Laphi brushed the cover with a gentle smile. "I wrote this," he explained. "Well, I copied the original, but still. It's something I wrote, back when I was still human." Turning to Grim, he inclined his head. "Thank you, really. I will treat it with care." Then he immediately passed the tome into his own holding arte, giving Eizen a wary glance. The reaper was busy consoling Alisha, though; Velvet knew they would all need some more time to come to terms with 'old Nica's' true identity later. For now, she crouched down next to Grimoirh, placing Bienfu by her side.

"What about you two?"

Neither responded at first; Bienfu shuffled listlessly while Grimoirh frowned. It was the female Normin who spoke first: "I need some time to myself, I believe." She made a half turn toward the door, intention clear. Velvet gently tapped her shoulder.

"You don't want to talk to Enya first?"

"...no. She is better off without the burden that is being Magilou, and I am better off without the heartache of seeing a dear friend's face not recognise me. Farewell, Bienfu, Velvet. Until next we meet." Neither of them responded and Velvet let her go; it felt oddly final to watch the Normin's retreating back.

She glanced down at Bienfu once Grimoirh left their sight. "And you?"

He shrugged, head turning this way and that. "I don't know, I guess I'll stay around for a bit. Do you think they have a nice ball of yarn for me?"

"Always."

Offering him a gentle smile, Velvet made to help look for a fitting vessel; before she could however, several things happened in rapid succession: first she realised that with Magilou gone, there was no one to teach Laphi how to wield the silver flame. Second, Lailah began to thrash in Minkkubi's grasp again, calling for her. There were only three words, but they gave Velvet pause. She heaved a sigh and nudged Margaret to help the Normin. "I need to talk to Lailah," she explained while in the process of wandering off.

Three words they were, but they sent Velvet into a stupor: "Take my heart."

 

[Naron]

Velvet faintly wondered why everything had to happen at once now, but shook off the notion. There was no helping it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," the burning dragon ground out. "Take. My. Heart." She had to break for every word, clearly troubled to even compose a full sentence. "I, can not, hold on." Her crimson eyes narrowed on Eizen, who had followed Velvet; Alisha and Margaret flanked him. "End, me. Take, my, heart. Make, make Edna, happy."

Her wish was simple, yet it also made Velvet's heart clench; her companions were just as distraught, but no one broke down yet. Even Alisha soldiered on despite just learning that her idol was an enemy to be destroyed. Taking a deep breath, the goddess of darkness nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry I can't bring anyone else to see you off, Lailah. Sorey is out at sea." Hearing the young shepherd's name made the dragon twitch; Lailah tilted her head toward Velvet.

"Sorey. He does, well?"

"...yes. He will be fine, don't worry."

It was not much of a lie, even. Before Velvet got to begin however, Eizen stepped forward with a scowl. "And this is actually what you want?" he asked the dragon. "There is a way to return you to being a seraph. Are you sure you don't want this more?"

Lailah seemed to stew on that for a long moment. When her mouth next opened, it was to let out a steaming breath. It faded quickly into the earthpulse's surroundings, the vast stone platform they stood on illuminated by red mana running underneath. "Edna, she, she always, pretends. Never smiles." Eizen's expression changed minutely, but he did not interrupt. "Take, my heart," Lailah pleaded again. "Turn, her frown, upside down. It is, my, my heartfelt desire." She left a long pause and huffed another steaming breath while everyone else stared. "She is, always, so, down to earth. I want to, to, to rub-y some cheer, into her. Give her some, some, saph-fire." The dragon giggled and wiggled out of Minkkubi's embrace, baring herself to the motionless Velvet. "Now, please?"

She scrutinised Lailah a moment longer, more unsettled than annoyed by her puns. Her gaze wandered to Eizen, who nodded back at her with a faint, fond smile. Margaret's stared at the ground, trying to wipe away her tears. As for Alisha, she firmed up and stepped forward the moment their eyes met; her tail began to come alight with a deep blue. "Allow me," the therion requested while stepping next to Lailah's neck. "You focus on the heart."

The dragon studied her calmly, a bit of curiousity making its way into her question: "Is this, revenge?"

Velvet already rounded her frontlegs, but she still saw Alisha shake her head. "No," she reassured Lailah. "I forgive you, and I will see you off. Thank you for your service to Glenwood, firekeeper. And thank you for helping protect those who remain up until your final breath, and beyond."

The erstwhile firekeeper's eyes closed, then shot open in pain when Velvet's hand pierced her chest. A scream began to erupt from her throat, only to be silenced when Alisha severed it with a water jet from her tail. Its high pressured edge cut the entire platform in two and threw a wave of mana a hundred metres high where it landed in the earthpulse.

A moment later, Velvet pulled back her hand; in it lay a core of gentle flame, surrounded by several rythmically pulsing rings of darkness. She carefully pulled away the rings, extracting the core and handing it to Eizen. He took it solemnly, forcing the flame down his mouth without even chewing. "It was what she wanted," the earth seraph mused while his body shone. "She gave her life for this. The least I can do is honour her wish." The glow intensified before abruptly cutting off, leaving Eizen as he had always been. Opening and closing his hands a few times, he then pushed them into his coat while Alisha took a knee and prayed before the dragon's corpse; Margaret joined her moments later.

Velvet watched the remains, taking note of the steaming Malevolence; like all dragons, this one would soon dissolve. Her gaze fell on Alisha again, the therion's bushy tail drooling; she clearly suppressed the urge to feed on a meal as bountiful as this, but Velvet thought otherwise. "Devour her," she told Alisha once she and Margaret were done.

Seeing her hesitate, the younger blonde spoke up after a moment: "She always struck me as a nurturing woman. One who was kind enough to wish her heart was used to aid another. She would wish for her body to nourish you, too."

"I agree. It still feels horribly wrong." Despite her words, Alisha stepped forward again. Her maw opened wide just as the first flakes of Malevolence fell off her meal. Velvet put a hand on her shoulder as she ate.

"I know how you feel. She reminds me of Seres like that, I hated eating her, too." Margaret flinched, though Alisha's head merely turned in curiousity. "My brother-in-law's bonded seraph," Velvet elaborated. "And my big sister's reincarnation." The therion's eyes widened, but she did not inquire further about the who or why. Now that she started however, Velvet felt like talking: "They were both kind, nurturing women. Women willing to go beyond their own lives in order to make the world a different place. Seres fed herself to me when she could go no longer, gave me her flame, so I had the strength to carry on."

"..she sounds like a wonderful person."

"She was."

Alisha finished her meal in the ensuing silence, darkness visibly roiling through her entire being. It erupted a few times like a geyser, but soon calmed while the therion rubbed her belly. "It went, well, easier than the first dragon. Although I am still a little hungry." She ducked her head after saying so, but Velvet merely smiled. It was an eventful day, so everyone should have a full belly and a good night's sleep. She could give them at least one of these things.

"Then let's make dinner."

. .
. .​

The view was exhilarating! Enya could not get enough of it ever since she was shown this place up high. A giant temple flying so far above the world one could see it was round! She drank in the sight for hours, then did the same with the magnificent flame above, the sun. She was so, so happy; not for any truly important events, but because she got to see such beautiful sights.

The kindness of strangers had quickly warped into what felt like familial warmth. She was born merely two weeks ago, but every day had been wonderful for Enya; the other seraphim taught her many things and had a lot of patience when she messed up. She messed up a lot, actually. Regardless, she apologised and tried again until she succeeded, which seemed enough to mollify everyone who taught her anything. Even Velvet, whom she had been scared off at first, always gave her a warm smile, although Enya kept feeling as if there was more to her behaviour than she said. But as long as they were all together, she hardly cared.

Climbing up a narrow stone pathway, she peeked into the vast cathedral all the other seraphim were gathered in. Several gazes went her way immediately and Enya ducked away from the high window, but there were no reprimands; daring to look again, she found everyone mingling with each other again. A stage was set up in front, though no one stood on it yet; this was some kind of meeting, she could tell. Curiousity began to burn brightly within Enya, the young seraph settling in to wait for what would happen. She did not have to wait long.

Just a few minutes after she reached her perch, Velvet herself appeared and jumped on stage. Her arrival silenced most, the final conversations petering out over another few moments. The imposing woman surveyed everyone before she spoke, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "This is the first time we have the guild present in its entirety," she began, curious whispers filling the short pause that followed while Velvet's smile fell away. "This is good news and bad news, for all of us.

"The good news is, our main purpose will be fulfilled before Summer is out. The Lord of Calamity is dead." Enya gasped, having heard how horrible any Lord of Calamity was by now. "However!" Velvet immediately shouted over various exclamations, returning all attention to herself. "However, this was only the first of two steps. Laphi and I, we kept a few secrets from most of you. I doubt no one noticed the things we never advertised, but it is only fair that I explain them now." From her perch, Enya could see a few disgruntled expressions and some nods, but mostly just curiousity. She was curious, too. Her eyes began to widen when Velvet spoke of Maotelus himself being under threat, almost falling out of their sockets as she explained her own godhood. The moment Enya learned she stood on a god's body, she softly patted the stone near her knees to ask forgiveness.

"Those of you who remember the last age will remember Innominat's short reign as well," Velvet continued once the general surprise, worry, and excitement had been dealt with. "Suffice it to say, this will not happen again. I will see to that." Some chuckled for an unknown reason, but Velvet did not mind. "Either way, we sent Margaret, Alisha, Symonne, and Eizen to dismantle the Lord of Calamity's own network the last few months. Once they are done, Laphi and I will deal with Maotelus; without a silver flame in our hands to try purifying him, we have to use drastic measures... no, we won't kill him," she immediately silenced the worried muttering, her voice growing softer despite carrying to every corner of the room. "At least we don't want to. With a little luck, we can free him."

Velvet stopped there, clearly lost in thoughts; going by her grimace, Enya felt that she did not like the thought of killing Maotelus. It faded soon, the awestruck seraph noticed; she wished she could have that kind of inner strength.

"Moving on, Innominat's body will soon return to Desolation below. Him being up here was a temporary solution to keeping him hidden, but there is no need for that anymore when Maotelus is taken care of, one way or another." This news was taken with mixed reactions, though far more subdued than before; Enya's face fell, too. She just found this wonderful, beautiful place, and it would be gone within a few months. Of course she understood, and so she held back on any tears and kept listening: "And lastly, we will disband the Bloodwing Butterflies within-"

Velvet did not get to finish, surprised and silenced by shouting from various people. Enya could hardly hear anything clearly in the cacophony of many voices conveying their displeasure, but she gathered that whatever those butterflies were meant for, everyone wanted them to continue. Velvet appeared to get the same impression, making the seraphims' protest fade with a raised hand. "I understand," she told them simply. "However, neither Laphi nor I can remain leaders of the guild. We are Empyreans and shouldn't interfere with the world as much as we did the last years. We only did because it was necessary. Show of hands, who wants to continue the Bloodwings under new leadership once this crisis is over?"

Almost every hand rose. The non-human seraphim raised paws and hooves or whatever other appendages they had. Even Enya did it weakly, hidden as she was; something that brought people together like this and made them so fond of it, she did not want it to end even without knowing what it was.

Velvet did not even bother to count, she simply nodded. "Alright, so the guild leader will change. Any volunteers?" All of a sudden, all the excitement was gone. Hands lowered as men, women, and others glanced between each other, uncertain; Enya wondered by herself just how much work being in charge might be that no one wanted it. Within seconds, an odd and uncomfortable silence hung over the room she spied into. Velvet's eyes wandered, the woman clearly waiting for someone to step forward. "I'm not going to force anyone," she added after some time passed, "but the Bloodwings need a leader. Laphi and I can teach our successor, or successors if several want to share the burden, but we won't just appoint you." There were more searching gazes now, but still no one stepped up.

Enya worried; if no one wanted leadership, then would this guild be disbanded anyway? All these peoples' happiness might burn away into so much ash.

She had to do something.

"I-I'll do it!"

The shout echoed through the silent hall and Enya felt relief that someone had the courage. Only then did she realise all eyes were on her now. She was the one who shouted, she realised with widening eyes. Then however, her expression firmed up; she hopped through the window, landing in a crouch before the surprised guild. Even Velvet was dumbfounded by her entrance.

Taking heart, Enya kept going: "If, if no one else wants it, then I'll do it. I, um, I don't know what exactly you do, a-and I'm really sorry for eavesdropping! But I can tell you love this guild, so I'll do it. For all of you."

Her words came from the heart, shrill and clearly not as elaborate as Velvet's, but they reached nonetheless; daring to look, Enya found herself confronted with smiles and understanding. She slowly brightened as well, then sought Velvet's eyes; the goddess of darkness appeared almost proud. Once they looked at each other, she nodded. "Very well. We still have a few years before the Crowe's Nest becomes obsolete; until then, Laphi and I will mold you into a proper leader." Enya blinked, surprised by how easily she was accepted. "Come up here."

The fire seraph began to move slowly, almost cautious of it being a prank of sorts; when no one stopped her, she started to speedwalk, then run. The room was a lot bigger than she thought. In the end she jumped, clearing what few metres separated ground level and the stage. Velvet made her take position to her right, looking out onto the many cheerful faces; this felt different from here, knowing everyone could see her. She could see everyone, too.

When Velvet next spoke, it was clearly orders; her firm words almost echoed: "Starting today, we will clear out Innominat. Our enemy's forces in Rolance are practically destroyed, but Hyland is consolidating; we assume they know the game is up and will march on the Empyrean's Throne, where Maotelus is. To that end, the Bloodwings' final mission in this Age of Chaos is to keep the two entrances to Camlann under observation. I doubt they can break past Zenrus up in Elysia without their master, but we will do our due diligence. Inform us the moment Hyaci Maltran and her forces get near the passage in Glayvend Basin, then our combat group will take care of her."

There were calls of agreement and the crowd got moving; Enya watched them file out, listened to the excited chatter permeating the hall. She stayed in place, nerves having caught up with her; she just volunteered to lead a guild she was not a member of. A guild she did not even know about until half an hour ago. Why had she done that? "...why did I do this?"

Her quiet mutter drew a huff from Velvet, who turned with a fond if melancholic smile. "Sometimes we surprise ourselves," she told the young seraph. "Now let's go. There is much for you to learn, Enya."

"O-Okay!"

Enya left Innominat's body that day, never to return. The Bloodwing Butterflies removed all their belongings and workshops within hours, leaving the giant structure as bare as it had been before their arrival. Then, once the last of them left, Innominat began to crest away; slowly, ever so slowly, he returned to his original position above the Empyrean's Throne. Teleportation artes fizzled out, leaving no way to return onto his majestic form.

Maotelus failed to notice his movements, lying in fitful slumber. He missed Minkkubi as well, the obsidian dragon swimming through the earthpulse beneath as if in sync with her brother up high. Corruption incarnate and light reborn readied themselves to strike.

Meanwhile, Shepherd Sorey stepped off the ship and onto a dilapidated dock. One need no eye for architecture to know it had been abandoned ages ago; the heavy, sturdy rock was torn apart in places and ground down by the elements, yet still strong enough to allow mooring their vessel. Above them towered a partly broken structure that once stood rigorous, traces of Malevolence still echoing in the entire area. Deformed metal tips were lying in small notches they struck as arrows in the past, the faint slices and impact craters of powerful artes yet remaining.

Scholars huddled off the ramp right after Sorey, already arguing among each other just what this place might have once been. Mikleo and Edna were quietly speculating with the shepherd while Rose whistled at the sight. Even Dezel turned his head this way and that as his winds explored.

Only Zaveid was not curious. He knew this place and saw it before; long ago, when he traveled around aimlessly. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the wind seraph huffed as he beheld the changes. "Titania, huh? Wonder if you knew it'd be this place." He received no answer of course, knowing that neither Velvet nor Laphicet were present. Then he strode forward to follow the enthusiastic shepherd.

 

[Naron]

Sorey had seen such a style of architecture before, but he could not put his finger on where; even though worn away by time, the massive structure remained in decent condition. Brickwork and masonry were eroded, yet a deeper layer hid underneath; whatever this installation had once been, it was built right into the rock. That was his first real clue; human hands could not create such buildings easily.

"I think seraphim built this place," he shared his observation with the group, receiving nods from his spiritual friends and a shrug from Rose, who was busy poking a badly rusted spear with her foot. The contact made it crack, at which she quickly retreated. Sorey sighed, knowing that the redhead was bored out of her mind ever since they boarded the ship; the way she found herself distractions at least made the sailors happy. And admittedly, Sorey started to understand why she was so fascinated with sex after she slept with him, too.

...but he really should not ponder this right now. The barely identifiable pieces of armour and weapons they found were more interesting; everything they found was white with golden trims that, combined with the clear signs of combat everywhere, painted the picture of a horrible assault. He did not know who once lived in this place, but they must have fought like people possessed.

The worst part was the last hall on the ground floor; it opened onto the backside dock, but the devastation inside gave them all pause. "What the hell?" Rose muttered next to him with wide eyes. Sorey could not help but stare, too; the stone railing was cracked and broken, giving them a clear view of the torn floor beneath. Several spots were molten and reformed into jagged edges, elsewhere gleaming splinters of metal shone in their torchlight. Parts of the wall were smashed out, allowing natural light in; a glance through the hole revealed that it went through several metres of rock.

The scholars were excited, of course; Sorey just wondered what kind of power it would take to create such devastation. This place had been built to last, reinforced to unnecessary levels in his opinion. That same opinion changed when they ventured lower and found the cells. Heavy iron bars had rusted away to dust, only a scant few remaining to tell of their past; the traces of Malevolence felt earlier were stronger here. "This was a prison," Mikleo voiced what Sorey also thought. The others nodded, clearly having made the same connection. "So the signs of battle may have been a riot?"

"But most of those weapons were enchanted," Sorey argued back after a moment. "And with how they lie around, it looks like the prisoners won. It doesn't add up. Something is weird about this."

He continued to ponder just why this entire place still felt off as they went deeper, to the deepest cell. It was little more than a hole in the ground, though curiously the most pristine area they found so far. Zaveid and Edna kept strangely quiet, but they jumped down with everyone regardless. Rose shuddered moments after landing, looking around at the bare walls. "Brrr, what's with this place?" she moaned. "It gives me the creeps!" Sorey empathised, feling little better.

Before he could get used to the atmosphere however, his vision shifted. A soft gasp escaped him when the glow of his torch was suddenly gone, his only source of light behind the trapdoor far above. It took Sorey a moment to realise this was his mind's eye seeing and he quickly told the others. Dust swirled in the faint rays and he curiously stared upward; the trapdoor confirmed his previous thought that this was a cell. It could have been meant to store a waste heap, too.

"...Sorey? What's that in the shadows?" Rose sounded uncharacteristically timid when asking that; his attention shifted immediately, finding her by his side. He strained his eyes to find whatever she pointed at, but was distracted by a loud clap of metal hitting stone. A second later, he started when a werewolf landed right in front of Edna, who flinched back. The meaty thwap of its impact had something disgusting about it.

"What the-?!"

Sorey's exclamation was cut off when the hellion rose; he made to guard himself before remembering that this was a past event. The werewolf stared straight at them without reaction as it looked around; Edna cautiously stepped forward and poked it with her umbrella, only to pass right through it. Sorey was intrigued, but also mightily confused. "This is different from the iris gem. What are we seeing?"

The only response he received was the thing in the shadows stepping forward, revealing itself to be a woman; a ragged, torn, snarling woman whose appearance reminded Sorey of someone, but he could not figure out who. Her pitch black hair was disheveled and barely held by improvised bands of cloth, reaching all the way to her feet.

The werewolf had seen her too, flinching back and falling over. "Please, mercy!" he pleaded almost desperately, but the woman charged forward without hesitation. Her arm deformed into a giant, crimson claw that tore the hellion's chest open in one swing. Sorey stood completely still as specks of purple blood flew right through him, his stomach revolting at the sight of even a beast so brutalised.

Before he could get himself back together, the woman pressed her claw onto the dying werewolf; her entire arm began to contract with grinding and sloshing noises, the hellion quickly pulled into her palm.

"Wait," Rose interrupted the gruesome scene, "is she eating that werewolf?"

Sorey could not help but nod, horrified. "She's venomising herself," he muttered, then glanced up and back down, realising there was nothing else for food down here. "This place was like a crucible!"

The vision faded out on his last word, as if on cue. They were back in the dilapidated, now somewhat more illuminated cell. No one had any words for what they just witnessed; this was when Sorey understood the true horror of this place, and what felt so odd about the cells above. "They held hellions in those cells, like, like cattle to feed her." Silence answered his words, everyone trying to come to terms with what they found.

"Okay," Rose began slowly after a while, "Okay. Edna, Zaveid? You two are older than us, do you have any idea what just happened? And I don't mean, you know, that," she clarified while waving at the room's center, "I mean that we saw it at all."

The two seraphim exchanged glances while everyone else watched them. Zaveid shrugged at Edna, who rolled eyes and umbrella. "Assuming that this was the Earthen Historia, I can make a guess."

Before she got to explain, another vision overlayed the room and everyone seized up; the woman was back, her outline barely visible along the wall. This time however, no hellion fell, no. It was another woman, clad in pristine white and blue with hair of flaming red. Her eyes were covered by a white and golden mask. She landed as gracefully as all of them had earlier.

Sorey turned away after a second; he could not bear seeing her get eaten, too. Mikleo did similarly and they both heard the fast slap-slap of bare feet on stone, followed by the impact of body against body... and then body against wall. The crackling of flames followed, which drew his attention back despite himself; when he saw the redhead pressed against the wall by her assailant, whose arm burned to no reaction, he could not help but watch in morbid curiousity. The newcomer was thrown into the room's center and the trapped hellion shook her flames off with contempt.

"Where is he?" she snarled. Her voice was cracked and hoarse, yet full of anger; Sorey still failed to place where he heard it before. They watched a short exchange and a combat test of sorts, but any useful information was cut off by the woman claiming she did not care for details. That was when it faded out, leaving them with little to work on.

"She said Artorius was involved in this somehow," Sorey mused afterward. He had no idea how the pieces fit together yet. Rose still grumbled about having learned nothing. They waited for a while to see if anything else happened, but nothing did and so the group ascended; they found nothing of real use for the scholars yet.

Walking behind the others, Zaveid side-eyed Edna. "Recognised her, didn't ya?" A wall of protective winds kept his voice from carrying, their conversation private. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I did. Velvet is pretty distinct once you know her."

"Heh, agreed. So my bet is that Maotelus shows us pieces of the past, but I can't figure out why."

"It might be the silver flame," Edna mused. "He recognises someone wielding his power, so he wants to help."

The suggestion earned her a chuckle. "Sounds just like him," Zaveid agreed.

Their conversation ceased after that and the winds dispersed; Zaveid knew that Dezel noticed what he did, but the other seraph usually kept these kinds of things to himself.

The remainder of that first day yielded little else of interest; no great finds, no more visions. Camp was made in the dock-facing hall, almost everyone arguing about one thing or another; Sorey kept theorising while Rose asked questions once in a while, though neither Zaveid nor Edna spoke up. Mikleo noticed, but said nothing. He could only shake his head when Sorey asked his opinion; while the water seraph had some theories, they all relied on knowledge he was oathbound to withhold from the unknowing.

The following day consisted of further exploration, though the shepherd's group remained near their charges this time. After learning that hellions were held here, they decided not to risk one having lived through an age and run rampant.

Just as someone asked Sorey's opinion on the abundant destruction however, another vision layered itself over their eyes. Men and women in white-golden armour raced through the corridor, gleaming in crude armati and striking out against the same dark-haired woman they saw before; this time however, she was not alone. Mayvin fought by her side, as did four others; a woman wearing a blue and white dress with flaming red hair, two broad-shouldered men, and a blond boy. The boxer reminded Mikleo of someone, but it took glancing at Edna to realise whom he likely saw. The other man wielded two daggers like Rose and moved similarly, one of his eyes gleaming red. The child threw paper and all kinds of elemental artes, forming the group's rearguard while the adults rampaged ahead.

The armatised warriors were killed slowly but surely; stray strikes from both sides tore walls and ground apart, forming almost the exact traces they themselves saw. While his human companions gasped and watched eagerly however, he actually looked; what he saw was several people dropping and turning to dust without ever being hit.

"Is something wrong?"

As if disrupted by the woman's voice, their vision faded before the battle concluded. Sorey slowly shook his head, wide eyes flitting between everyone. "No, no. Just... didn't you see?" When the scholars shook their heads, he tried to explain: "I don't know why, but something keeps showing us moments of the past. There was fighting right in this corridor, but I can't say what about. Seraphim were involved."

"O...kay?" The woman who initially asked made a valiant attempt to hide her alienation; Mikleo noticed, but doubted that his brother did. She slowly shook her head then and produced parchment. "I guess that's the gentle shepherd for you. Would you mind describing what you saw, in detail?"

"Oh, sure."

It did not take long to summarise the important details Sorey took from the fight, though he did not mention the people around Mayvin or the Historian herself at all. He was then asked to let them know of other visions and nodded along, but Zaveid clapped a hand on his shoulder the moment they had some distance. "Don't," he advised the confused shepherd curtly. "This place looks like it'd be better left forgotten."

"You sound like you know more than you admit," Dezel added before Mikleo could decide whether he wanted to prod the older seraph. Attention quickly went to Zaveid, who shrugged.

"I know a bit. Never been here during that time we just saw, but I've paid the place a visit a few years after all of it happened. This is Titania, a prison made for hellions. Didn't work out so well for them when-"

Another memory overlayed itself in that moment, showing the same group of six they saw fighting earlier. Except that this time, they were passing through the corridor leading downward in much less of a hurry.

"But what could lead to such a riot?" the redheaded lancer asked, only to draw a little grin from the hellion swordsman clad in purple robes of a sort.

"Ah, right, you don't know. This place is where they held Velvet, Magilou, and me. Velvet caused the riot to escape in the confusion."

"She did what?!"

The dark-haired woman, Velvet, turned to her companion nonchalantly. "Did you really expect anything else from me at this point?" she inquired like another would ask about the weather. That was all they saw however, as the vision faded right after Velvet's comment. Mikleo's eyes were wide as he realised why that person appeared familiar; going by the faces all around, he was not the only one. They all stared at where a woman they met not that long ago had spoken so carelessly of lives lost.

"Yeah, that."

All eyes were on Zaveid when he broke the befuddled silence. In these moments however, Mikleo formed further connections. A woman imprisoned, a hellion, the casual disregard for others, the mention of Artorius the previous day. Zenrus' words almost echoed in his head, but Mikleo's tongue was tied. Everything made sense now and the truth was horrifying. He stared at Zaveid, willing the other man to meet his gaze and tell him it was not so.

Unaware of his brother's mental turmoil, Sorey forged ahead with his own question: "You knew she was a hellion this whole time?"

Zaveid merely shrugged. "Yeah, so what? Not like you could have done anything about it besides getting yourself killed. That's one woman you don't mess with, buddy." When Sorey opened his mouth to protest, the other man cut him off: "I mean it. If you go and confront her, she either won't listen or beat you up, depending on how long you bother her."

Sorey harrumphed, more or less pouting about being disregarded like this for a long while. Mikleo followed everyone around absently after that, trying to understand just what Velvet Crowe was planning. Into these thoughts however, they stumbled into another scene right next to their camp as it suddenly vanished; other accomodations took its place, with rougher men and women at work all around. In their midst played a little girl hellion, green and black bark having replaced her skin. Two long but thin horns poked out of leaf green hair like antennae, that same hair fusing into a tentacle which ended in a tiny suction cup.

They all watched the child build a tower of sticks, only to throw it back over with a playful roar; the adults snickered over her antics. Once in a while, someone would pass by her and administer a headpat; the sight drew a smile from Mikleo despite himself. This child appeared happy despite her lot in life.

"That was weirdly wholesome," Rose mused when the vision faded. Everyone else agreed with her, though the curious glances to Zaveid merely earned a shrug; he did not know who that girl was.

They saw several more scenes of that girl, either playing or running around; sometimes other familiar faces featured, from Eizen to the unknown redhead. Once she hid herself within the hollow of a living armour's body while playing hide and seek with a lizardman.

As they entered one of the central rooms however, another scene began to reveal itself; Mikleo immediately knew it would be more important. The redhead and the child were there, but so was yet another woman. Another hellion, her eyes discoloured and skin partly covered in scales. The three of them were watching Velvet talk to that blond seraph boy Mikleo had seen before. Except that after something he said, Velvet ruffled his hair affectionately.

"One certainly wouldn't expect the Lord of Calamity to be like this on her off-time," the reptilean woman mused, which prompted a nod from the redhead.

"You have a point there," she agreed, ignoring the dark-haired swordsman's approach. The girl's gaze went from the scene they watched to the adults with her.

"But why does she always look so mean? I'd like her more if she's nice!"

Mikleo barely suppressed a huff and Rose actually giggled about the comment. The redhead did neither, rather taking the question at face value: "I'm not sure, to be honest. It feels like she goes out of her way to not be kind, but sometimes it slips through and she pretends it's for some other reason."

"But why? I don't get it, Eleanor!" A gasp sounded from Sorey while Mikleo's eyes widened; that name could not be a coincidence, but it felt impossible for this to be the one he thought of. It was the right time for certain, but so close to Velvet?

They could not ask the past for clarification, however. The swordsman came up next to the child and patted her head. "That's because that's how she is, simple as that. Velvet doesn't care what you think of her, or what anyone thinks. She has her goal and that's it."

"I got a similar impression," the snake woman responded warily, "but that doesn't explain why she is that way when she is kind at heart... apparently." She merely received a shrug in response.

"I have some guesses, but I don't think she'd like me to share them."

"What? No fair, tell us! Tell us, come on!"

While he chuckled over the child's antics at first, the swordsman indulged her and by extension Mikleo: "Let's say someone hurt her bad before. I figure she only cares about hurting them back now." The younger hellion backed down, more confused than Mikleo was by now; he pieced most of it together already, after all.

The redhead's expression had softened, however; her gaze lay on the ground as she thought. "Still, to act against your own nature must not be easy on her."

"Well, she is a daemon."

"...a fair point."

"I still think she'd be nicer if she smiled more."

The child had crossed her arms after the last statement, clearly convinced of her own opinion; the lady hellion huffed together with Rose and Zaveid. Mikleo took note of Velvet approaching the group while the swordsman responded thoughtfully: "I'm not sure I agree. Don't you think it would be more unsettling to have Velvet smile at you before she kills and eats you? I'd rather have a scowling end."

"H-Huh? Velvet isn't gonna eat me, is she?"

"I don't think so," the woman in question answered, immediately drawing everyone's attention to herself. She gave the distraught girl a kind smile. "You're too small to make a good meal, anyway." Her reassurance only made the child shake.

"Y-You'reRightShe'sScarierThatWayAaaaaaaa"

A befuddled Velvet stared after the fleeing girl, likely unaware of the disapproving stares leveled at her from both remaining women. The scene faded out at this point, leaving them on their own; Zaveid chuckled, but Mikleo saw how pale everyone but him and Edna had become. They obviously noticed.

"That woman just called her 'Lord of Calamity'," Sorey began slowly, widened eyes still focussed on the empty room. "She, she was right there this whole time? How didn't we notice anything?"

"Holy shit, I hit on a Lord of Calamity!"

The entire discussion stopped dead, five pairs of eyes incredulously focussing on Rose. Edna was the first to turn away, huffing. "Sounds just like you," she quipped. The others quietly agreed, though Mikleo could not help but grin mirthlessly.

"Imma stop you right there," Zaveid then chimed in again; his arms were crossed now, the serious glare not affecting Sorey in any way. "You still shouldn't get involved. Velvet put down that title a long time ago, she won't make trouble unless you push her. Leave her be." His warning reminded Mikleo once again of what Zenrus taught months ago, so he could appreciate it; his brother could not, he merely clenched his teeth and fists.

"I can't just overlook this, Zaveid," Sorey ground out. "Present or former Lord of Calamity, I need to sort this out."

"Hold on, maybe we have the wrong person," Rose chimed in while rubbing her head. Mikleo glanced her way out of curiousity. "I'm pretty sure she has a bonded seraph. And if she's, you know, a hellion, that wouldn't work. Right?"

"I never sensed a trace of Malevolence from her either," Dezel supplied thoughtfully. "Though she always felt a little off to my winds."

"So in the best case," Mikleo summarised warily, "we have a woman who shares the name and appearance of the first Lord of Calamity. In the worst case, she is that very same being, has survived the battle with Shepherd Artorius, and had a thousand years to grow even more powerful." He hated having to do this, but spelling out the situation clearly gave his brother pause; he could not risk Sorey fighting this woman. "So we should move with care either way." Zaveid opened his mouth, but a stern look kept him silent; when Mikleo next glanced down at Edna, she arched an eyebrow at him. At least those two clearly understood that Mikleo knew yet played this game regardless.

"I'll think about it," Sorey ultimately decided. "We need to do something, but Mikleo is right."

"Let's talk to her once we get back," Rose suggested right after.

Despite his relief, Mikleo found the mood thoroughly subdued after this conversation; Velvet Crowe, a woman who had her hand in their fate and journey, was a former Lord of Calamity.

Little did he know that this same woman was beset by assassins as they spoke.

Blades gleamed in the dark of night and blood splattered as bodies were cut apart; the dying attempted too flee but lost too much blood already, crawling for their lives. A metal-plated boot punctured yet another throat and cracked the mask protecting it.

The twister of red and black came to a standstill soon after, pristine; surrounding her were eleven broken bodies. One more was still on his legs, fleeing as if death itself were on his heels. Velvet let him, knowing how organised the Scattered Bones assassin guild was; they would know where their team got waylaid either way, so she threw back one of their bones. A witness would make abundantly clear not to come at her again.

Considering her surroundings, Velvet decided not to waste food so freely given; she could not afford the bodies being found either way. As her claw grew out once more, she pondered what to tell her brother; they would have to run damage control and depending on how their fellow shadow guild reacted to this, it could range from being benign to utter annihilation. She hoped it was the former, but if the latter was called for, well... the loud crunch of bones being shredded underlined her thoughts.

 

[Naron]

Little of interest happened the next few days; Mikleo spent the vast majority of that time pondering, leaving a notably distraught Sorey to explore the ruins. He patiently entertained whatever concerning theories his brother came up with, noting how both he and Rose continuously grew more wary with every minor vision they saw. He had already put the important pieces together, but did not understand what Velvet was planning now despite everything they learned. He considered to ask Zaveid or Edna more than once, seeing that both of them had obvious ties to the woman herself. His fear of what their response might reveal stopped the young firekeeper, though.

Perhaps, he reasoned, Zenrus' lesson had been meant to cover this case; maybe he never spoke Velvet's name because he knew she yet lived. Having gotten her revenge on Artorius, she may no longer be a malevolent force in the world, simply living quietly with the seraph Laphicet that Edna sometimes spoke about. If she were, there was no problem.

However, how would he even begin selling this idea to his brother? It sounded preposterous without all the knowledge Mikleo had, most of which he could not relay due to his Oath. As it were, he was doomed to stand at the sidelines and watch Sorey charge toward near-certain doom. This fear was what ultimately untied his tongue and the next time he caught the two who must know alone, he asked: "Will she kill him?"

Zaveid was clearly more dumbfounded than Edna, though neither of them needed any explanation. Mikleo's pleading eyes went from him to her, the younger seraph clearly aware of the faint breeze suddenly cutting off.

"No," Edna told him curtly, kicking her feet as she stared onto the ocean. "At least I don't think so. Sorey is stubborn, but Velvet is infinitely his greater; he won't ever be able to kill her, so she probably won't see a threat in him even if he keeps coming."

"You talk about it like swatting a fly," Zaveid returned with a dark chuckle, nudging the girl with his foot from where he sat a few steps higher. His gaze then turned to Mikleo, dead serious. "But I agree with her. And I guess I'll be honest: the thing him, you, and us all were doing recently was to keep the current Lord of Calamity on his toes, distract him from Velvet and Laphicet. They've got stakes in this, too. And they're on our side." He offered a shrug in response to Mikleo's arched eyebrow. "Yeah, hard to believe, I know. 's the truth, though."

"I doubt he will believe it though," Edna added from behind her rolling umbrella, the Normin-mascot bouncing merrily. "Especially if these visions keep going."

"You think he's going to show us Innominat?"

Mikleo knew he was missing some parts here; Edna gave no response to that last question, or at least none he noticed while pondering the name. He heard it before, though remembering where took a moment. Cardinal Forton mentioned it during her sermon. "...a Great Lord was here? On this island?" Something still felt amiss and Mikleo just knew he was but one association away from discovering it, but he could not figure it out; the lack of answers became somewhat annoying however, so he rose and stalked away. "Alright, if you don't want to explain."

Instead of trying to crack the two who knew, he spent some time with the others who at least tried to piece things together; Sorey concluded that the redheaded spearwoman must be Saint Eleanor herself, taking the fact her style was eerily similar to Alisha's as proof. Her general behaviour did not fit with those around her as well, being far more proper and worried about general human decency. What neither him nor Mikleo understood was why a future Saint would follow a Lord of Calamity.

Rokurou and the boy seraph, Laphicet, confused Sorey; Mikleo remembered Zenrus' talking about the former, but even he could hardly guess what the latter represented. He carried the same name as Velvet's alleged brother, yet had a different appearance, voice, and mannerisms. There was no sign of the boy he met in person.

They walked and talked, but upon entering the devastated hall again, another vision overlayed upon their minds. Rose's explosive sigh could be heard by all. "Woo," she deadpanned, "another tiny vision to confuse us."

She could not have been more wrong.

Mikleo stood enraptured by what he saw. Living history, preserved by the Earthen Historia. He beheld the clash between brothers as Stormhowl and Stormquell met, saw and felt the rage of Velvet Crowe against Artorius himself... and then this last connection became clear. Innominat descended, a familiar face belonging to a mind that lacked emotion; a heartless, golden monster so uncanny in how familiar he appeared to the boy Mikleo once met. A god.

Rokurou's orichalcum-blade was found wanting before the might of a Great Lord, broken just like Edna once told them. The six renegades fled the presence of Shepherd and Empyrean, but only after their leader's emotional outburst that had Mikleo feel he ought not to have seen.

Once the vision faded, four of the six were left with their mouths agape. Mikleo's mind whirled with possibilities and thoughts, but also certainty. He knew without a shadow of doubt that Innominat and Laphicet were the same person; what was more, he now understood that the 'newly found' dark goddess Minkkubi was Velvet Crowe. And lastly, even without looking at Sorey, he knew his brother would not let this matter rest; his thick head would make him go to confront them both.

"You knew," Sorey broke the horrified silence at last. His accusing gaze went to Zaveid and Edna, who met it evenly. "You knew the whole time."

The wind seraph shrugged in response. "Hard not to recognise them, y'know? Did you expect me to tell you everything? 'Oh please gentle Shepherd, there is an evil god over there selling food to people, and he can bond with a hellion because he can digest malevolence'? Come on, get real." He had a point, but Mikleo still winced over the way he phrased it.

When Zaveid displayed no signs of caving under Sorey's glare, it focussed on Edna who shrugged just as nonchalantly. "As an earth seraph, I am naturally inclined to find gold wherever I go." She held the irate shepherd's gaze, though Mikleo noticed how tightly she held her umbrella.

His general worry grew worse as he slowly began to realise just what was going on here; Zaveid outright admitted to this, all this, being part of Velvet's and Laphicet's designs. He always knew the wind seraph had his own reasons to join them, but Edna never appeared to have her own plans. Having learned all this, Mikleo understood he might have been wrong with that assumption. Centering himself so as to not join Sorey's agitated attempts to interrogate them, he let his voice cut through the tension with a simple question: "Do you know what they are planning?"

Zaveid threw him a smirk in response, but let Edna do the talking while Sorey and Rose listened attentively; the earth seraph shrugged once more. "Killing kittybeard, for one. Laphi doesn't talk much about their strategies."

"Heh. More sweet nothings for you and Symonne, eh?"

The wind seraph received a flat stare, then Edna turned around to hide her face. "More than you will ever get," she retorted, "not that that's difficult." Zaveid chuckled, clearly unbothered by the quip. Everyone watched the seraph girl take a few steps before she stopped to crouch. "The hardest metal in the world," Edna mused as she picked up a shard of orichalcum. "This might be useful." Disregarding the distress among her companions, she began to gather them. Mikleo glanced from one person to the next, hoping that no one would poke the glaring issue.

"So, what's that mean for you? You gonna dump him?"

His vain hopes squashed by Rose, Mikleo let out an inaudible sigh while Edna fell still. "No," she retorted tonelessly, never turning to meet anyone's gaze. To his increasing worry, Sorey jumped onto the subject right after.

"Wait, you trust him? Even after that?"

Edna turned around slowly, revealing furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. "I will dump you before I dump Laphi," she declared, voice cold. "Don't make me." She then went back to gathering shards, ignoring the dumbfounded humans. Mikleo quickly put a hand on Sorey's shoulder and shook his head; Rose received a similar treatment from Zaveid and both humans thankfully got the message. Though the older wind seraph chuckled again.

"Always hard-headed, that one. You're not going to make her change her mind, shepsy."

"Either way, we're not getting anywhere right now. Let's shelve that matter for later and see what to do once we return."

Mikleo received reluctant agreement to his cautionary approach, though the way Edna nodded at him later made it clear she understood what he intended. They could not let their group splinter now, regardless of the circumstances. "You changed since taking the Oath," Edna had said. "Mikleoath." Her grin was infectious that time, much to his chagrin.

Not all was quiet however, for Rose had her own train of thought to follow; she never spent much time scheming like some others liked to do, much preferring direct approaches where possible. As she pondered the day's events and peoples' reactions, she could not help but gasp upon realising the clear backup plan. "That bitch! She could have said something!"

"Do you mean Edna?"

"No, Velvet!"

Dezel waited for her to continue, which she did after formulating her jumbled thoughts properly; indignation and admiration both surged at having figured it out. "Edna and Zaveid are on Velvet's side and Sorey wouldn't want me or you around at all if he finds out about us. She got herself a shepherd's group exactly as long as she needs it, she can break it up at any time!" She groaned, feeling dumb but also a little annoyed how someone supposedly her partner kept these ideas from her.

"Hm, that is a good point. I didn't think Edna would be more aligned with the Crowes, but she obviously is. After what we saw, we may need to reevaluate them too. The knife...."

He left the statement unfinished, but Rose nodded. Lord of Calamity and Great Lord; regardless of how powerful they were however, there must be a way to defeat them. The knife would be delivered upon the deserving. "It's damning evidence, but right now we don't know her objective. Why can't things be easy for just one year?"

"Life is not fair, Rose."

Individual conflicts and goals aside, the general mood remained subdued for the final three days of their stay. By the time Rose and Sorey boarded the ship however, they were brimming with determination to figure out the truth.

. .
. .​

Just where did it all go wrong, Hyaci Maltran wondered. She kept scouring her reports, yet the picture they painted remained grim. The crucibles were empty. Symonne defected. Hyaci herself nearly got killed. Several key figures for the grand plan no longer acted as intended, not to mention Chancellor Bartlow being dead. Deployments to Glayvend Basin kept getting delayed. The Spiritcrest was straight-up gone for reasons unknown, something horrific having flattened almost the entire mountain range into even plains.

And above it all, Heldalf remained out of touch, having left no messages for anyone. Despite knowing that he was too powerful to be killed off unnoticed, Hyaci began to feel concerned about his whereabouts.

Malevolence still spread, though at barely more than a trickle; she had to consider her options, well aware that waiting for the Lord of Calamity's return was untenable. Hyaci must act before the shepherd grew too powerful. She considered turning city after city with a fast campaign of their hellions, but discarded the idea; a lightning strike meant nothing if that boy Sorey could merely march in to cleanse what was left.

For one strange moment, she considered to surrender herself; this was enemy action, though Hyaci had yet to figure out who her elusive opponents were. So if she surrendered now, she might be able to save herself. The thought was gone just as fast as it appeared, just like her idea to lay low and wait for her lord's return.

In the end, Hyaci's mind returned to the one thing she could think of doing to circumvent her opponents' plans: make for Artorius' Throne. If everything had gone out of control, she reasoned, she might as well escalate matters beyond anyone's ability to rectify; breaking the seal that kept Maotelus imprisoned ought to do the trick.

Preparations for this undertaking were finally completed, hellions rallied, and Hyaci was ready. Little more than two days' worth of travel separated her from Glayvend Basin and the only accessible entrance to Camlann. She gave the order to march, knowing that there was no going back from this. Regardless, Hyaci Maltran would fight for her dreams and desires until the very end.

Of much the same sentiment as the Blue Valkyrie were the people gathered at the Crowe's Nest, though their intentions were diametrically opposed.

A seraph of water, fire, and earth respectively sat around the single human present. Opposite to them were seated two hellions, flanking a final seraph of no elemental affinity. Tapping his notes, Laphicet Crowe began their council in an even tone: "Our preparations for the final step are complete. Without old Nica to complete my tutoring, we will have to contend with brute force. Minkkubi and Innominat are both in place to intercept Maotelus if instinct drives him to flee."

"The Bloodwings are observing our enemies' movements," Velvet added into the pause her brother left. Everyone else listened attentively, though her gaze focussed on Enya. "I'm sorry that we have to start you out with a task this important. It will get much easier soon enough, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Honest." The month-old fire seraph fidgeted awkwardly, well aware of her youth. "It's not like you have me do it on my own."

Alisha spoke softly into the silence Enya left, pushing the conversation along: "Following the original plan, I understand we are to intercept Lady Maltran's battlegroup and... neutralise it?" The clear pause she left did not go unnoticed, though Alisha pre-empted all concerned question the moment she saw everyone's expressions: "Not to worry, I made my peace with this." The way Malevolence swirled around her at the words told differently.

With no one appearing to challenge her words, Enya hesitantly reached out to clasp the therion's hand. "Are you sure you will be alright?"

Her question drew a gentle smile from Alisha. "I will be," she reassured her newest friend with a soft squeeze of her hand. "My heart may cry, but needs must. For a brighter future."

"...be careful with statements like that," Margaret cautioned her companion a second later; her fingers absently traced the pendant she still carried. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Her words lowered everyone's gaze to the table without exception; Enya aside, all present knew this young woman spoke from experience.

The silence that followed hung heavily in the room.

"...moving on, which path do we take into Camlann?" Laphicet inquired of his sister a minute later, tapping the map. "Do we drop off Margaret's team and carry on through the ruins, or do you want to go through Elysia?" When Velvet shrugged in response, he quickly continued: "Ah, alright. I'd like to take the path near Elysia. This Zenrus character lives there, right? I wanted to talk to him for a while now."

"Sounds like a plan," the older Crowe acknowledged. "Is that thing ready?"

Her question drew immediate attention and curiousity from everyone else bar Laphicet, who rolled his eyes. "As ready as can be, Velvet. I told you that every day the last week, so unless you want to actually test it out beforehand, we won't get any improvements done."

"Hold on," Symonne interrupted their mysterious discussion immediately; narrowed eyes went from brother to sister. "What do you mean, taking an untested arte into battle? That way lies blowing yourself up. Go test it, now!" What little heat there was in her demand subsided when both siblings shuddered; Laphicet eyed his sister, who shook her head.

"No," he then told his girlfriend. "We won't test it. I made it, it works on proven principles, that is not the problem. But it just feels... wrong. So we won't use it unless we absolutely must. It's our last trump in case Maotelus is too powerful to defeat safely."

"And what is it?" Eizen chimed in curiously, but neither Crowe indulged his question.

"It's something Velvet and I agree should not exist. If we don't need it, I will destroy it. I already put all my notes on it together and will burn them the moment Maotelus is subdued. Please don't ask." His request made, Laphicet leaned back in a short pause; just as he asked, no one inquired further. "Thank you. Now, there is one other matter we should cover now: what do we do if we fail and Maotelus is lost?"

Silence answered him, the distraught expressions clearly telling of how much everyone wanted this to succeed. In the end, it was Eizen who began slowly: "If we lose Maotelus, we lose the balancing element between the four elemental Empyreans. Innominat will have to take his original place again."

"We will have to ascertain that the Firekeeper's Oath remains in effect," Margaret added. "If it persists past Maotelus' death, we at least retain use of the flame of purification. If not," she closed uncertainly, "we will have to scramble to undo the main sources of Malevolence. Discontent, poverty, fear, despair. Though I am afraid doing this quickly will require your direct assistance." The present Empyreans nodded their agreement at that.

Alisha cleared her throat for attention right after Margaret finished. "I wish to be clear about one matter," she warned her friends softly. "I do not seek Hyland's throne, or any other throne for that matter. Unless there is absolutely no other way, please do not conceive plans that require me to do so."

The general surprise over the change in subject quickly turned to understanding; Velvet offered Alisha a nod and everyone else followed her lead without hesitation.

When nothing else was to be discussed, Velvet dismissed everyone. Symonne immediately dragged Laphicet away to cuddle while Alisha and Margaret wandered off to practice some more. Enya excused herself to study, leaving behind merely the two members of their original group.

Velvet huffed at herself as she leaned back. "Odd, isn't it?" she cued Eizen. "The last time we had this kind of atmosphere was in Meirchio. Now we're preparing to fight yet another force bent on ending the world as we know it, but from a position of strength."

The earth seraph chuckled in response as he produced a bottle of whiskey. The good one, Velvet noticed. "And don't forget that we're also working to dethrone yet another god," he added sardonically. Two glasses were filled, one of which he handed Velvet. She took it with a wry grin, clinking it against Eizen's a moment later. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"I'll say." She took a cautious sip, faintly aware of the warmth burning down her throat. "Here's to hoping we win again."

"Aye."

 

[Naron]

Elysia lay in pleasant silence, like most days. The sun poked out from above white clouds, soft winds caressed their huts, a few critters had strayed into the village before being shooed away, and the inhabitants followed each their own hobbies.

Zenrus quite enjoyed such days, bereft of hardship or responsibility. He knew it would be back to work eventually, but a moment of tranquility felt well deserved. Elysia became more quiet ever since Sorey and Mikleo left the nest, though even the time spent raising them both had been more of a vacation to the ancient malak. Odd, he wondered, that Sorey was already twenty years old; he aged within the blink of an eye to Zenrus, who knew that the sixty more years his ward might see would pass just as quickly.

More importantly to the old man, his boys were up against terrible odds; the current Lord of Calamity was bad news all around. He could not help but worry.

Into his worries however, a feeling of dread suddenly blossomed. The elder shuddered as his instincts screamed to flee, for a monster was near. He had to fight for composure, barely managing not to rush out and intercept the personified abyss before it could reach Elysia. For a moment he worried that thinking of Heldalf called him forth, but then his senses slowly adjusted to the power trespassing in his domain. Had anyone watched him, they could have noticed the way Zenrus' eyes widened.

It was not one greater being, there were two. Each one infinitely his greater, and one almost intimately familiar.

Pressing a hand on his chest where a human's heart would beat, Zenrus began to walk. He meandered out of the village, unconcerned as far as the villagers could see; they soon perked up regardless, following him with dawning horror. The dense cloud of Malevolence drawing toward Elysia lay on their senses like an omen of death, suffocating in its intensity even from a distance. From within shone the golden light of a god since banished beyond the heavens.

They fell still as one. No one dared speak for fear of drawing the Empyreans' ire. Zenrus' emotions ran wild, held in place by eons of experience; the domain remained his, despite the fact their visitors could have taken it as theirs with nary more than a thought.

The darkness touched down right before him, drawing back inward to reveal two figures; Innominat he would recognise anywhere, his incandescent shine banishing every shadow before casting more. Boyish he may be in size, but his expression was outright regal; the finest white and gold covered his frame, nearly matching his gently blowing hair in its radiance. He hovered next to his sister and could not be more different if he tried; Minkkubi garbed herself in a fine, black gown that flowed into many, red-trimmed layers to either side. Equally black gloves covered her arms from shoulder to fingertips and a curtain of liquid darkness cascaded down her back.

Two pairs of amber eyes moved over the arrayed seraphim; none were able to so much as lift a finger in their surprise, the Malevolence Minkkubi radiated staying contained in her shroud but ready to strike like a viper.

Seeing that he was still alive, Zenrus forced himself back under control and took a knee. "Empyreans Minkkubi and Innominat," he greeted reverently. "It is a great honour to meet you at last." The way their gazes focussed on him sent chills down Zenrus' spine, but he did not let it show. "What brings you to our humble village?"

"You're Zenrus?"

"Indeed I am."

The woman crossed her arms, Malevolence folding back behind her as a second domain layered over his. "Good. So you're in charge. We want to enter Camlann." The demand gave Zenrus pause for a moment, but he did not need clarification; they had come for Maotelus. Not to mention this was a courtesy; they could just break through if they so wished.

Chuckling, the ancient malak stood. "I see, so it is time at last? I did not expect the both of you to arrive in person."

"You take this a lot better than I thought you would," Innominat added from the side. Zenrus huffed at him, then motioned for the earth beneath.

"Zui came by a little while ago and told me what she did. So yes, I was aware. I knew you would come here one day as well. The darkness is yet contained." His eyes narrowed, wandering between the two understanding gods. "If I may ask, what exactly will happen with Maotelus?"

Much to his dismay, neither Empyrean met his gaze at first; Minkkubi clenched her fists while Innominat frowned, though it was the dark goddess who answered in the end: "We're saving him, no matter how." The way her expression darkened made it clear she would not take no for an answer, although it puzzled her when he began to chuckle about it. Everyone else stared at him like he lost his mind, though Zenrus did not care much. He allowed himself to laugh, stepping toward the bemused goddess.

"It's good to know you have not changed a bit, Velvet."

"...you know me?"

"I do, my dear girl. Empyrean or no, that strong will of yours has carried you far." He chuckled again, reaching up to clasp Velvet's hand. "If you would indulge an old man, do not just waltz through but take the passage in the ruins beneath. Mikleo's mother strengthened the seal with her resonant soul, it would not do to let the Malevolence she died to shackle escape." The woman nodded in understanding, though a frown quickly chased away her soft smile.

"Mikleo is a seraph."

"But he was not always," Zenrus told her gently. "His first life ended before he was more than a babe, not that he would remember." By the sudden grief in her entire posture, he knew she understood. Now however, having ascertained that they actually met, he could not help but ask: "Are he and Sorey alright?"

"They're fine. We got them off the continent to explore some ruins, so they're out of the way for now." He barked a laugh in response, clearly understanding why Velvet herself smirked. The expression fell right quick, however. "That aside, you just reminded me; you're ancient, right?" She did not even wait for his confirmation. "Then you should probably know that we lost Magilou Mayvin, not even a month ago."

This startled Zenrus. He had not even known the Mayvin was still alive, but hearing she died hurt regardless. "I see," he muttered. "A thousand years are a long time for a human to live. Would you show me to her grave once this matter is settled?"

"There is no grave."

"...pardon?"

Laphicet Crowe chuckled mirthlessly before repeating himself: "There is no grave. Magilou's body was incinerated as per her wishes, and from her soul was born the fire seraph Enya." He paused there, giving Zenrus a moment to digest the news. "We didn't have the time to build her a proper memorial yet."

That at least explained how Mikleo's tale reminded Velvet of Magilou. He inclined his head once more. "Then I gladly lend my aid to this endeavour. Once the matter at hand matter is resolved." The Empyreans scrutinised him momentarily, but nodded their assent. Zenrus huffed in response. "Now off with you two. I have a few questions to answer in the meantime." There were gazes boring into his back, the other seraphim obviously curious about the situation.

"Just in case," Laphicet interrupted as he placed a pre-fabricated teleportation arte on the ground, "we will leave this here. The fighting might spill over. If it does, pass through this to find shelter."

Zenrus inclined his head gratefully, suppressed worries easing somewhat over the display. He hesitated a moment before speaking: "Thank you. I wish you all the luck in this world." There was no response, but they all knew these two would need it. Velvet turned fully and raised her hand in goodbye as the siblings marched off.

While the Empyreans made haste to pass through the winding corridors among the mountainside, Hyaci Maltran led a force hundreds strong into the entrance of a similar structure. Old ruins, nearly fallen apart and in a state of disrepair; a recent earthquake collapsed several supporting columns, she noticed. Thankfully, none of the broken corridors were of relevance to the Blue Valkyrie. She continued to lead her hellions through abandoned pathways, wondering where the expected opposition was; after so much backlash against her side's general movements, Hyaci refused to believe they had not noticed their march on Camlann. Yet no matter how many layers they passed, no one accosted them. Careful observation of any side passages and other ambushes revealed nothing, either.

A shiver ran down Hyaci's spine every once in a while, her senses on high alert; if anything, the wait for what she knew would happen eventually made her tense up even more. It took her an hour to realise this may be the idea behind the absence of hostiles.

By the second hour of their speedy ascent, she noticed there may be another stratagem at play; with every grand staircase they ascended, the corridors grew more narrow. Where at first the whole battallion could march in three wide lines, five of them could barely continue shoulder to shoulder. If this were the plan, Hyaci reasoned, they would soon encounter a small elite force; it was the logical conclusion and somewhat worrisome, though Hyaci kept a cool head.

Just as they climbed the penultimate layer toward the third hour, she stopped and raised a hand to bid her forces halt. Sharp eyes lay on the two distant figures, clad in grey with gold and blue with black respectively; one was pristine, the other wreathed in Malevolence. The dim light was to blame for her to not recognise a familiar face, as her gaze was first drawn to the clearly visible fox tail behind the hellion. Only upon spotting the spear held at rest did Hyaci strain her eyes to make out the other woman. What she found was surprising... and sent a quiet pang of woe through her chest. She paid those feelings no mind however, striding forward with purpose. The warriors expecting her remained at rest, though cautious. A sudden charge was out, they expected that.

"Clever," Hyaci began after halving the distance, "to confront us here, where the number of my troops is more of a hindrance." Her voice carried easily in the ancient halls, echoing halfway through the structure. "Although I must admit I did not expect you of all people, Alisha. So you have finally fallen?"

Her attempt to push merely made the erstwhile princess purse her lips. "I believe the common folk has an idiom for such matters," she returned over the same distance; Hyaci shivered over how hard her voice sounded. "How did it go again? Ah yes, 'pot calling the kettle black'." The hand Alisha had on her spear tightened while Hyaci allowed herself to huff.

"And you grew a spine while you were at it. Or perhaps it is just more pronounced now," she mused, halting several spearlengths before the two women. "Your will was always strong."

"Stronger than you know," the blonde by Alisha's side chimed in. She drew her blade properly now, but made no motion to strike just yet. "I had always wondered the kind of person Hyaci Maltran would be. Alisha only ever sung your praises when the subject came up. Meeting you in person, I understand that your reknown is indeed earned." Her gaze strayed to the hellions slowly coming to stand behind Hyaci while the woman herself arched an eyebrow.

"And you would be?" Her question earned a tired smile, as well as the formation of two figures now flanking the girl and Alisha. One she did not know, a tall, broad-shouldered man whose scowl almost made her backpedal. The other, she knew far too well. Hyaci made an understanding noise as she met Symonne's gaze. "So this is where you went after betraying the Lord of Calamity."

The seraph girl's expression clouded over just as she hoped, but there was no further reaction to Hyaci's words; so they had known already. Symonne's vessel put a soothing hand on her partner's shoulder, but never took her eyes off the threat. "Symonne made her choice, it is not for you to criticise her." The near-growl almost drew another huff from Hyaci. Competent they may be, but getting under their skin was quite simple; then again, perhaps they felt hesitant to commit as well. Were Alisha not here, the battle would have begun already.

"The point is moot," her former student cut off the discussion, "for all that remains is you and those behind you. The Age of Chaos ends today, Lady Maltran. As we speak, the Empyreans move to free Maotelus of his shackles; even if we are to fall here, you shall not succeed."

"And yet you stand before me," Hyaci deflected calmly, though this new information had her mind racing; if it was true, she already lost. But there was no way any other Great Lords could be active, except that Alisha had never been a good liar. She was far too confident of herself, so either she had been fooled... or else. Her gaze went to Symonne again, whose expression hardened into her former blank mask by now.

"I wished it so," Alisha admitted, raising her weapon. "I prepared myself extensively to face you today. Who would have thought," she continued with a wry smile, "that this is my graduation?" Hyaci allowed herself an unladylike snort, but nodded her agreement. She raised her own weapon while the hellions began to growl, but halted when Alisha raised her hand. "One last matter before we begin. There is a question I would like to ask." Hyaci almost rolled her eyes in response, expecting the usual fare of 'why' she never felt like answering. But as a last service to her brightest student, she remained in place.

Once again, Alisha surprised her: "Why is it that birds fly?"

It appeared her companions were just as surprised; even the yet unnamed blonde broke her constant vigil momentarily to stare, though Alisha held Hyaci's gaze instead. The older woman considered the question with due attention, but found she needed not think for long. "Birds fly because flying is their birthright," Hyaci Maltran declared, clearly aware of what the actual question was. "And forevermore, even if their wings art broken, they will strive to embrace the sky."

She received a contemplative silence. Alisha nodded and the girl by her side exhaled slowly. They tensed a moment later and Hyaci could not help but grin. "Charge!" she cried just as they burst forward, shooting off to meet her student in battle for the last time.

Hyaci expected Alisha to be stronger and faster than before. She was still unprepared for the blur of motion ramming into her chest.

Alisha's furious charge slammed her erstwhile teacher back into her troops, sending far more massive bodies stumbling to the ground. Hyland's most decorated knight caught the horn of a mutated lizardman and nearly tore their head off in a bid to reverse her momentum. Her troops rallied without fear, closing the gap. Just as Hyaci pulled herself forward however, Margaret surged past her with barely a glance. A quick swipe was deflected and the girl was past, sliding on a rail of water. Weaving between the larger enemies, her Armatus' floating daggers poked out eyes and other soft targets in passing.

A mixture of werewolf and lamia lunged at her with fangs bared, but rushed past a metre to her right. The hellion's side tore open from a quick slash as it understood the illusion, eyes widening just before a fist crashed into its face and shattered it. Eizen hammered his victim into the ground, his strike leaving a crater. He caught another werewolf making to lunge for his back with one hand, then stomped the ground. Gleaming ochre chains rose from the ground and entangled two lizardmen just as Hyaci crashed into them; the lesser hellions crumbled while the Valkyrie flew past, her spear shattered from an attempt to block. Alisha followed right after.

Hyaci turned her fall into a roll, feeling the force of her student's strike hitting where she just was. Ancient stone crumbled just as Hyaci's foot found pursuit, pushing her out of the follow-up swipe. Alisha's speartip buzzed by, leaving behind a strand of wine red hair and a piece of blue cloth. A spray of purplish blood slapped both items from the air, the orc it belonged to squealing in pain while their opponent circled around. She embedded her blade in the hellion's spine, separating it with a smooth motion just as she separated in two.

Margaret sheathed her dagger as Symonne slid away, hands in dark leather gloves reaching out. A larger hand covered hers and her call was lost amidst the cacophony, though the light was not. Blonde hair was replaced with ochre, her ethereal glow renewed; the wounded orc swung their warhammer, only for their opponent to vanish. Flame consumed the beast a moment later. "You're wide open!" a union of two voices shouted while their target slammed into them from behind. "Burn!"

The living torch crashed into a couple of blinded hellions, setting them ablaze just as they were launched sideways. One such projectile hit the blocking Alisha's side, preventing her attempt to push back Hyaci. She was buried beneath a mass of meat and muscle while her opponent followed up.

Hyaci used the momentary break to form a new spear from Malevolence; just as the darkness solidified, Alisha pushed her burning soldier away. The werewolf's pained howl was ended by a single slash of her spear, decapitating the enemy. Alisha dashed forward as its head began to fall, laying into her opponent with swift stabs and vicious swipes. Hyaci learned her lesson however, weaving through the flurry with haste more than grace; she could barely follow the younger woman's motions, only a decade of experience sparring with her kept Hyaci alive.

To the Blue Valkyrie, it was a second dance with death less than two months after her last one. She had known she was outmatched after their very first exchange. Alisha fought with a lethal grace not unlike her own, never wavering in her assault yet also not overextending. Battle raged around them but neither woman cared for it, attention solely on each other for the danger they represented. Any lesser which stood in their path was batted aside like a bit of fluff. The gap in power between them was vast, Hyaci knew, yet skill and experience let her bridge it in part.

Dying screams and sprays of blood roared all around them, courtesy of Margaret and her seraphim. To the hellions still capable of thought, the epitome of a shepherd had descended from the realm of fantasy; motions descended from Claudin himself, refined by Artorius and reimagined by Velvet. Margaret switched from one Armatus to the next, drawing in Symonne and Eizen respectively while keeping together by force of will and the endless energy of youth. As water she flowed past her enemies while leaving lethal wounds in her wake, hiding her position with careful illusions. As earth, she roared and hammered into her enemies like the fist of an angry god.

Her opponents were mighty, swift, and ferocious. Yet venomisation took the minds they would need to truly see; her actions were like clockwork, drawing enemies toward faked openings only to run into devastating counters. The straightforward nature of beasts could not match such calculated cunning as the first shepherd's soul sung in steel.

Slowly but surely, the force of hellions was whittled down. Alisha kept up her stalemate with Hyaci, though both knew it was not to last. Though focussed, they remained aware of the carnage; the entire hallway was drenched in purple, teacher and student ever more often trampling corpses in their battle. The living and the dead turned into springboards or higher ground; Alisha defended her perch atop a large lamia with careful sweeps, only to have Hyaci sweep it away under her feet. Controlled heat roared through her body, surging out of her tail and over a ducking Hyaci's head; Alisha landed by the time her opponent could strike again, another stab swiftly blocked.

"To my own detriment," Hyaci found herself speaking over the noise, "I taught you well." She considered escape, fully aware that she would tire long before Alisha. Her student made full use of her greater power, limiting herself to minimal energy expenditure while forcing Hyaci to exhaust herself.

Both women refrained from clashing again, circling each other warily. A screaming werewolf flew past in-between. Alisha's face remained a mask of calm as she responded: "Neither of us expected it to end like this. Are you truly not willing to relent? To surrender and accept a new cause?"

"As if you would spare me at this point."

Hyaci surged forward to stab her again, fully aware of Alisha's narrowed eyes. Much to her surprise, there was no parry like before, no block. Alisha flicked her spear aside and let Hyaci's puncture her gut; despite the thrust's force however, it barely penetrated. Alisha's hand held onto the weapon while a rivulet of blood flowed from the wound, purple like everyone else's. A hellion about to jump the still woman from behind was caught by her tail as it turned into a vicious maw; the beast screamed while Alisha devoured it, the noise of tearing flesh and snapping bones shocking Hyaci into silence.

Alisha pointed behind her back, where the champion of light yet raged against an ever-weakening tide of darkness. "Symonne was granted a chance to redeem herself," she told the stunned Hyaci. "I offer you the same. Heldalf is dead and has been for months. You lost. Continuing beyond this point is futile. Surrender. And live."

Hyaci kept standing there, lost. She thought she had a chance, but Alisha just demonstrated that this fight was not about overcoming the odds; she stopped a killing blow dead with her own body, yet received little more than a scratch. Hyaci's hellions were slaughtered by the lesser combatants of their group. If Heldalf truly died, then it was indeed over. Even if Alisha lied, which Hyaci knew she did not, he was not here. He could not stop the slaughter.

"Traitor!" a voice hissed from the side and both women moved at once; Alisha let go of Hyaci's spear, allowing her to bring it around and stab the furious lizardman's gut before it could disembowel her. Before the other hellion even registered the hit, dark lightning crackled over it in such a force that Hyaci could smell the ozone; it dropped to the ground, convulsing violently.

Their eyes found the other again and Hyaci saw; there was a spark of something new in Alisha. Something she had not seen in years. "You changed," she uttered softly as pride and despair warred within. Alisha nodded solemnly, though a smile blossomed on her face quite soon.

"In losing my humanity, I was given hope and power to bring the change I so desire," she answered. The fighting subsided all around them, Hyaci noticed; Alisha's companion methodically cut down one after another. Her elite forces, venomised to great power, were found wanting. Her time was running out.

With a defeated sigh, the Blue Valkyrie let her spear dissipate. "I surrender," she declared morosely. "Show me your gods, and I shall see about changing my mind."

Alisha beamed.

Hyaci marched while thinking herself a conqueror; now she was stopped with such perfidious ease, only to realise she became the conquered instead. Just as she thought so, the burly seraph man broke her final soldier's neck; once it fell and the echo subsided, there was silence. Blessed, final, deafening silence. From where she stood, Hyaci noticed Symonne huff at the sight of her; the seraph girl quickly focussed on her partner however, tending to what few scratches the girl received.

"I'll keep an eye on her," the sole man in their group told Alisha as he strode toward them, pointing toward the corpses with his thumb. "You clean up."

"Ah, of course. Thank you." Alisha turned back to Hyaci then, offering a shy smile. "I will be right back."

The erstwhile princess wandered off, leaving her defeated teacher with that companion of hers; Hyaci took the opportunity to study the man and took note of his defined muscle. His silent stoicism stood out as well. "Not a word of disagreement, despite the fact I was leading operations in Hyland?"

He shrugged in response, either ignoring her inquisitive tone or unbothered by it. "It's her choice to make, not mine. She's kinder than the last hellion I traveled with." That gave Hyaci pause, leading to another careful once-over. He did not resemble anyone she knew, so likely not another of Heldalf's former retainers.

"Would that be someone known?" Hyaci inquired, only to receive a huff.

"First Lord of Calamity."

Only decades of practice keeping her outward calm prevented her from gaping, both about the revelation and the flippant tone he delivered it in. Before she could inquire further however, the awful sound of tearing flesh filled her ears. Head snapping around, Hyaci was once again subjected to the sight of her prized student feeding a hellion twice her size into that tail of hers. She recalled the same happening not long ago, but everything else distracted her. With this reminder, Hyaci felt herself concerned as well as confused. If her student empowered herself with venomisation, just how many hellions did she devour to get that strong? And more importantly, how was she keeping her sanity?

The sight did not appeal to Hyaci either, but she had seen worse in the past. "Her will must be greater than I ever knew," she mused while Alisha methodically 'cleaned' the area of corpses. The seraph snorted, but did not respond to her attempt at coaxing out information.

"It is," another voice chimed in then, "but that is unrelated to her remaining sane." Symonne strolled up to them, her human partner in tow. "I didn't expect you to surrender just like that."

Hyaci merely arched an eyebrow at her former partner in crime, hiding away her own uncertainty beneath indifference. Instead of indulging Symonne, she studied her partner; blonde, younger than anticipated, and completely fine. Yet the girl did not stand at ease; her arm remained angeled the slightest bit, hand close to her scabbard. She could draw in a single motion. The leg she focussed her weight on was bent a little, allowing for an immediate motion in any direction. The teacher in Hyaci could not help but admire this girl. She offered a nod of acknowledgement. "Your level of preparation is impressive," she granted, "I doubt I ever saw a prodigy of that caliber before." She surpassed even Alisha, whom Hyaci had every reason to be proud of.

Her praise drew a smile out of the blonde, though her guard did not relax. "Thank you, ma'am."

Seeing that neither of these two were willing to engage her and Alisha remained busy -crunch- Hyaci then turned to Symonne. "Now that I actually have the chance, I would have your reason for defecting."

The water seraph remained silent for a long moment, eyes downcast. Hyaci observed curiously, unused to how freely Symonne emoted. The girl sighed after glancing to her partner. "You would not believe the pull genuine kindness and affection can have on someone as starved for it as I am. I had no logical reason, no sudden desire to betray everything I helped build, but over time I changed. And before I knew it, I no longer wanted a world of darkness."

Hyaci listened, somewhere between baffled and desolate. Her lips curled up unconciously as morbid mirth bubbled up from the pit in her stomach. "Kindness," she huffed out."Overabundant kindness was our downfall, in the end?" She did not need Symonne's nod to know it was true, chuckling quietly to herself. Then the chuckle grew in volume until Hyaci was laughing. She bent over, clutching her stomach as peals of laughter echoed through the broken, ancient halls. She could not help it, for this was all she still had. The sheer comedy of how it all came to be, the reasons behind it all, and that it happened when they were so close already.

Vaguely aware of the concerned looks from all around, Hyaci continued to howl in laughter. Her control slipped and darkness coiled out from within, weaving around her like a cocoon. Hyaci Maltran's body contorted, growing thinner and taller to the point her battledress slid off. All feminine traits receded, fingers growing in size to twice their length, turning thin as needles and supremely sharp. Razor teeth gleamed out of a crescent mouth set in a head devoid of hair, a forked tongue flicking to take in the many scents. Vertically inclined eyes blinked down at the surprised bunch while Hyaci's laughter slowly trailed off.

Letting out one last huff, she straightened to tower over all of them and waited out the silence. Alisha stared at her with widened eyes, but soon went to finish her grisly work. Ultimately, it was Symonne to speak first: "I always wondered what your true form looks like." Her dry tone failed to hide her surprise.

"And did you expect this?"

"No. I do not even know what I expected, but it was not this."

Hyaci huffed once more, but left it at that. She rolled her shoulders, flexed her fingers; remaining in her compact human form at all times was tiring. While working out some of the tension however, Hyaci glanced toward the entrance to Camlann; she could attempt to make a dash for it, but the cautious blonde stood right next to her. Hyaci could not gauge her speed clearly so far, but the reaction to her attempt would be immediate. Not to mention Alisha was done and returning to them now.

She lost. Risking her life at this point was foolish if oh so tempting, as Hyaci's dream of the crown still persisted. But she resisted and sized up the victors. "Now, I believe I said so before: show me your gods." The seraphim began to grin, though Alisha and her human companion conferred with but glances; whatever notions passed between them however, they ultimately took her along. With how slow it went, she took the time to fish for information again: "You two seem to have grown close."

"Quite so," Alisha agreed softly. "Margaret and I, and Symonne for that matter, have been together for the better part of a year by now." A quiet huff sounded, followed by an easy grin thrown at Hyaci. "It is ironic how losing everything gave me more than I ever had."

She agreed, though the yet unnamed seraph man spoke over anything Hyaci may have said: "Life has a habit of doing that. All it takes to change everything is a chance encounter, or a single choice made by the right person."

"So you mean destiny?" she could not help but ask. "Fate?" The response was a laugh.

"No. None of that nonsense. Each of us has their own path to walk, their own choices to make. Nothing compels us to act in any way beside what we want."

"That kind of mindset can get you killed."

"I know, but that doesn't matter. Even if my own choices lead to my death, it is I who made them and so I have no regrets. I am steering my own ship."

Once their exchange ended, Alisha piped up quietly: "I wish I had as much confidence as you, Eizen." She did not appear sad about being found wanting, though.

"You're already doing it right now," her companion shot back.

"Not everyone can do as they please," Margaret reminded her partner with a sigh. "And not everyone wishes to do so. Many are perfectly happy living an ordinary life as an ordinary citizen." So as a sheep, Hyaci thought but did not say; going by how he rolled his eyes, Eizen might have similar thoughts.

"You're misinterpreting what I said."

"Which was that everyone should do what makes them happy, just in man-speak to sound tough."

Margaret and Alisha dissolved into giggles while Eizen frowned at a grinning Symonne for her cheek; even Hyaci had to suppress the urge to smirk. Seeing them banter so freely however, she suddenly felt alien; these were the same people who just exterminated an overwhelming force of hellions like pests.

Before she could come to terms with it, the earth began to shake. Old murals around them shuddered and cracked, then another shake brought down parts of the ceiling. The four around her exchanged severe glances and nods, forcing Hyaci to inquire herself: "What is going on?"

Symonne told her everything she needed to know in but three words: "It has begun."

 

[Naron]

They did not know exactly how long their journey took; neither Velvet nor Laphicet had much experience telling the time while underground. When they finally emerged from a broken gate however, they paused to behold what lay ahead.

Malevolence warped the world, more so than they had seen since Hexen Isle. An insidious darkness had turned the sky crimson, made the seal's edge become a black wall from which nothing escaped. No sun shone through this curtain, leaving but vague glints of purple and red to illuminate the sibling gods. Columns of crystallised earth rose into the sky like demented spires, houses warped in length and width snaking around them. Roads cut off in endless holes, only to reemerge up high. Above it all towered a familiar structure; dilapidated and broken, but yet unaffected by Malevolence. No wind blew and no sound could be heard.

Velvet and Laphicet exchanged weary nods before moving on. As they discussed before, the darkness was left alone for a time so as to not set off Maotelus. "Reality warps here," the younger Crowe told his sister in the absolute silence. "Perhaps, theoretically, increasing the amount of Malevolence further may allow to affect time in some manner, just like it can bend space."

"Let's not go there," Velvet admonished him somberly. "Even if that is within my power, I never want to use it. I am me because of the choices I made, going back on them is... no." She shivered at the mere idea of how much one could break if they had access to time. The razor's edge upon which the fate of Desolation danced again and again, disrupted for it all to fall apart. "And I'm going to come down on anyone who tries."

"Like the fist of an angry god?"

"Laphi...."

A quiet chuckle lost itself in the silence, his joke drawing some of the tension out of Velvet. She ruffled his hair gently as they strode past the destroyed village. A singular hellion had been lying between two huts, but was killed by a stray strike before it could even rise. Others were soon drawn by the noise, but the sibling gods did not even break stride to deal with them. "There aren't as many as I thought," Laphicet told his sister after a while, to which she shrugged. He dropped the subject as they reached the foot of their destination then.

Before them towered the grand temple, high as a mountain. The Empyrean's Throne had stood a thousand years. Its highest platforms were shrouded in dark mist, the entire facade cracked by the Malevolence encapsulating it. Nonetheless, it remained majestic in its reach. Velvet could not help but chuckle after taking her fill of the sight, however. "Somehow, these stories keep ending with me marching on this place," she ribbed her brother, who giggled.

"Perhaps we should reinstate it as our seat of power when we're done. That is what Arthur had it built for, after all."

"Save that kind of thought for later," Velvet deflected. Even the banter and conversation could no longer ease her nerves. "Is everything ready?" Her question prompted a roll of Laphicet's eyes; he knew they double- and triple-checked every single measure they prepared. Their greater forms lurked above and below, ready to interfere at a moment's notice. Laphicet took his sister's hand and entwined their fingers, amber eyes boring into each other.

"It will be fine," he reassured his sister, then tugged her along. "Let's go."

Their ascent began slowly, but grew in pace with every step. Velvet soon strode, then made to dart only for her brother to hold her back. Neither of them spoke, but they did not need to, to know what was at stake. Both Empyreans could feel Maotelus thrashing beneath, submerged in the lifepool the Empyrean's Throne was once erected on. The seal's center lay atop this structure, in the central chamber that had once been Artorius' refuge.

Halfway there, Velvet's free hand wandered to the blade strapped to her hip. A single nervous action that did not go unnoticed, although Laphicet left it uncommented.

In time they reached the apex; had either sibling turned to look, the sight may have taken their breath away despite darkness and corruption. Yet neither of them did, for their minds were on what lay ahead: a gentle structure of mana had been applied to the very walls of the vast chamber they entered. Laphicet wordlessly drew on the room's mana, plucking the arte off its hiding place. It reformed in front of him, appearing as a construct of no less than fifty blue, ringed layers; the seraph boy imperiously arched an eyebrow, though within he was stumped. Even with a god's mental capacities, he knew it would take millennia for him to create something that compared.

"It's beautiful."

Velvet left his awestruck whisper uncommented, arms crossed as she waited. Maotelus' thrashing grew stronger and the arte's innermost ring, already cracked before, splintered. The second layer immediately began to flash brightly as tremors ran through it.

Laphicet cast a glance at his sister, who nodded her assent. Only then did he step forward, one hand placed atop the seal's outermost layer. "You know we are here," he declared. Golden light pulsed with every word, seeping into the construct; silver light answered from within, pushing back on instinct. "I know you remember me," he continued, almost gently. From his careful pushing, every layer slowly began to crumble. A slight tremor shook the Empyrean's Throne.

"I know you hate me still."

Silver and gold grew brighter, now meeting each other even through the seal. Laphicet felt the seal shudder, felt the god imprisoned beneath quake. Ironic, how it was now for him to free this one of his shackles. A mirthless grin blossomed on Laphicet's face then, the feelings of 'Maotelus' crystal clear.

"I know you fear me still."

A final pulse of gold made the cracks he created connect. Silver light followed at once, shattering the weakened foundations. Layer after layer broke away and Laphicet surged backward; Velvet followed without a word, the siblings going airborne and leaving the temple. The seal imploded behind them, a newborn silver sun. Maotelus roared and the world shook.

All around the planet, people felt the chief god's rage. Faint tremors not strong enough to break more than the most ancient ruins, yet with enough force to be felt. In every city and every village, in every street and every house, they knew that something was happening.

Runette Forton interrupted her sermon as she felt it, instead falling to her knees in prayer. Her faithful immediately imitated the gesture. Far away in Horsa, Runette's older sisters did much the same while van Aifread stood somber, well aware of who was fighting this fateful day. Cynthia Randgriz prayed as well, though she had done so long before as she wished for her daughter's safe return. Unbeknownst to her, Seraph Enya kneeled right by her side with a similar wish.

Atop the waves, Shepherd Sorey stared toward Glenwood with wide eyes. His shaken squire and firekeeper stood by his side, as did Dezel. Separate from them sat Zaveid and Edna however, exchanging severe nods; where Sorey rightly figured that Maotelus was under threat, only these two knew what the tremors truly meant. Edna's eyes fluttered closed, the girl wishing for her beloved to be safe.

Far out, halfway up a mountain amidst the Meadow of Triumph, a lone Normin sat engrossed in a book. Grimoirh glanced up, but offered the commotion but a faint twitch of her lips. Just the same, the hopes of four Empyreans flared in this moment; a flame kindled by Velvet Crowe herself. Far apart they were, but their eyes saw nonetheless. They also watched their old friend, seraphim huddled around him near the emergency exit the Crowes left for them. Zenrus exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he bowed his head. "My prayers upon the winds," he murmured, fully aware of the immaterial gazes on him.

Far away, a hellion's eyes snapped open. He sat cross-legged in a meadow, meditation interrupted by the tremors. He could feel it upon the air, the way his armour plates vibrated. A purple and red robe covered the man, two greatswords slung over his back. Half his face was pure black, mostly concealed by equally dark hair, but the gleam of a red eye shone through. His head turned in the direction of Glenwood, far away as it was, and he could not help but grin.

The released dragon's roar was answered even before he fully formed. Nine voices returned his challenge, eight that sang in harmony above and one far darker below. Familiar, feared, hated golden light pierced the perennial Malevolence together with the inviolable form of Innominat. The outer seal broke at last as his first head slammed into it, having survived Maotelus' violent breakthrough.

Before the silver dragon could do more than spread his wings and growl however, he felt a shock from beneath. Then from all around. Maotelus' head turned fitfully, attempting to find the source of this new sensation, only to realise the burning darkness receded. It shuddered, its domain slowly undone as it was drawn to the obsidian dragon emerging from below. Minkkubi consumed every speck of Malevolence surrounding her, growing a metre in height and length within seconds.

To the sibling gods, the dragon of light was blurred by a silver corona. Veins of liquid darkness streaked their fellow Empyrean. Once ivory scales had become grey and black, eyes invisible within the darkness. Maotelus roared in challenge once more, shaking the ground; he was answered by white-hot flame, a high-pressured river, hails of boulder-sized stone spears, and storm winds that tore away what was left of Camlann. Four of Innominat's maws continued spewing the four elements while the remaining three maintained shields. The main head, meanwhile, continued to pulse his golden aura against the rabid dragon's. His core body retreated quickly to seek refuge behind his greater form's scales, much as Velvet did with Minkkubi.

While Maotelus shook off the elemental assault as a large dog shakes off water, Minkkubi charged forward. Her banshee's wail made the larger dragon's head snap around, then he hesitated for but an instant. Minkkubi barrelled into him mercilessly, launching Maotelus off the Empyrean's Throne; he took the central chamber along, tearing it off the structure wholesale. Moments later, the surrounding mountains shuddered as he crashed into them with a choked growl. Landslides were loosed from impact and immeasurable tons of stone made to bury the beast as the mountain collapsed around him. He resurfaced a second later, snapping for the charging Minkkubi. A single wingbeat saved the smaller dragon's throat.

Velvet and Laphicet kept their distance to the rampaging dragon, fully aware that a single swipe of his claws could injure them gravely. Maotelus charged her head-on, higher mental functions suppressed by Malevolence; she rolled aside while he collided with the Empyrean's Throne and tore through it like so much paper. The temple collapsed, then melted as a stream of lava rained from above.

A wave of force launched molten debris in all directions right after, revealing Maotelus once more; despite every attempt to harm him, the dragon of light bore little more than scratches. A swipe of his tail caught Minkkubi and slammed her into another mountain. In addition to a broken leg, this left her quickly buried. Maotelus reared back, free of distractions; a pulse of silver light pushed Innominat back, disrupting his artes momentarily. Laphicet and Velvet saw what their greater bodies alone would have missed: a gargantuan arte circle formed between Maotelus and Innominat, flickering yet remaining stable.

No words were uttered as colossal amounts of mana flooded the arte. A continent's prayers given voice and form, aimed at the heavens. Velvet's eyes widened as she tore open the earthpulse to flee, her draconian body ceasing all efforts to dig free. Laphicet merged with Innominat, who already aborted all offense in favour of shielding himself. They knew this arte would not be interrupted.

Seconds passed in a deafening silence, the absence of sound ever more disconcerting. Both sides sized each other up, the utter loathing of silver and gold plain on display. Then Maotelus reared back once more, screaming defiance as Indignation completed. A stream of unrelenting silver power tore apart the heavens and hammered into Innominat's seven-folded shield. The roar of mana drowned out all sound and its mere passing dispersed the clouds for kilometres; half the mountain closest to Innominat evaporated just as the rubble of Camlann was consigned to oblivion.

Up above at the shaking cliffside, opposite to where unstoppable force met immovable object, an old building crumbled. Within stood five spectators whose life would have been forfeit, had Alisha not sensed the danger moments ahead. She violently grew into her fox form as Indignation was unleashed, shielding the others with her body from its shockwave. Yet even the most powerful being before the gods was nearly found wanting; reality itself quaked under Maotelus' might, the blinding light of his arte fading seconds after it first emerged. When her companions could see again, Alisha lay on the ground, clothes, skin, and flesh torn off her body. Blood pooled around her even as the therion fought to stay concious.

High above, Innominat fared little better. Where at first it appeared his shields may hold, it was not meant to be. Two of his heads hung limp and unresponsive, four more had most of their scales stripped away to reveal vulnerable, pink flesh underneath. The golden dragon inhaled heavily, drawing in every speck of Malevolence in the entire area just as Minkkubi uncurled; Indignation removed the mountain covering her in its entirety. Velvet returned moments later, watching her brother's scales regrow as he devoured the darkness to heal.

Maotelus roared at them again, spreading his wings in an effort to intimidate the larger dragon. The response was a shriek from Minkkubi, who charged in while Velvet and Laphicet met near Innominat's wounded body. When their eyes met, they both knew the other's thoughts. "I hate this," Velvet whispered, her words lost under the cacophony of colliding giants.

"I know," Laphicet answered somberly as he took her hand. Velvet drew the blade she carried this entire day, aware that it was their only choice.

Deep below, Minkkubi dropkicked Maotelus' snout and pushed off, launching herself toward Innominat. She shrugged off a hail of ice that was more instinct than intent. The runes carved into Velvet's weapon ignited as the siblings channeled their power into it. Black and gold first appeared, then mixed as the gods began to shine brighter, and the world held its breath. Even far beyond, the elemental Empyreans reared back in shock at what they saw and felt. A union of light and darkness, never seen before. Maotelus' aggression faded in favour of uncertainty.

The dragons touched each other as their core bodies began to flake away. All four fused together as they called the other's name.

"Geb Imesch!"

"Sub Smuyaw!"

Maotelus stood and stared for an eternal moment. Upon the cliffs, human, seraph, and hellion alike stopped dead as the sheer wrongness began to assault their senses. Gold, black, and red mixed together, the form of both forgotten. No one dared breathe as the gleaming dark light faded, revealing a serpentine dragon coiling up as if to strike. Short legs emerged near its snout and far down its body, eerily reminding Eizen of the beast he killed a thousand years past.

Ten red eyes began to glow as they sized up fearful Maotelus and the monster roared back, nine voices singing as one. Glenwood shook under their might; the first and only Armatus of the gods.

Once joint in mind, they knew the plans each had individually. Their thoughts and feelings became as one, wills entwined. Utter darkness shone from the colossus like the rays of a black sun; once more the plains and mountains were bathed in crisp penumbra, colours draining away to seek a mere monochrome. Then reality buckled, and from one moment to the next they charged at full speed.

Maotelus backpedalled, a gout of discoloured flame all he could muster in his surprise and instinctive horror. His assailant barrelled through the attempt, dispersing it like so much air and slamming into the dragon of light. The ground broke as did the earth, mountains rumbling while the sheer force of impact drove Maotelus kilometres beneath the surface; Glenwood's southern continental plate broke from impact, hot magma quickly surging from beneath to engulf the uncaring god. He ultimately got his claws against the greater dragon, halting their descent to Desolation's molten core. Pushing back, he focussed his might and screamed as power unleashed; a wave of multicoloured flame followed, black and silver and gold.

To those outside, the gaping chasm left where once a temple stood released a torrent of fire upon which the abomination rode into the sky. An enraged Maotelus followed moments later, leaving Eumacia and Musiphe scrambling to repair the continental plate. Hyanoa's will forced all the winds of the world not to carry shocks of their mighty clashes from then onward, all while Amenoch soothed her waves.

Both sides received wounds now; vicious swipes left Maotelus to nurse his flanks while an arm was torn off the horror's front. Not that either beast cared, immediately snapping at the other for more until only one remained. Deep within both sides however, strong wills burned; the twofold god carelessly weakened their opponent, knowing no pain or hesitation. Maotelus fought for dear life and with unrelenting force, but eventually he began to tire upon undoing another mountain near where they began. The abomination followed right after, a maw of boulder-sized teeth sinking into the smaller dragon's rump. He bellowed in pain and incoherent rage.

Before Maotelus could free himself however, his opponent's remaining leg convulsed, flitting this way and that erratically as it grew into an elongated neck. The head which sprouted from there resembled those of innominat, joining the main one. Silvery blood pooled where their teeth slowly ground deeper into his body, ripping and tearing as grey scales began to break open. Light and darkness coiled beneath, every single wound glimmering. Quickly losing power as they drained it away, Maotelus pawed feebly in an attempt to dislodge his assailant; it was to no avail.

"S-Stop," a weak voice finally begged, so familiar that it gave the abomination pause. "Please, stop...." Maotelus trailed off, trying to pull free but failing. He was nearly torn in two at this point, his many hearts beating erratically.

After making up their mind, the victorious dragon continued to tear. Up high in Elysia, a lone malak watched crestfallen how the main head dove into the open cavity left by Maotelus' torso. Zenrus had found hope after eons of repetition in the endless cycle of suppression, only to see it extinguished like a candle's flame. Ascended to serve the old gods' need, then brought down as his purpose was fulfilled.

The abomination reared back its main head as another maw grew from the stump of a frontleg; the dragon of light fell still while both lesser maws began to devour what remained greedily. Before Zenrus could avert his gaze from it all however, the one head not busy feeding lowered itself to the ground; when it opened, a gentle silver sphere descended from within. Malevolence yet coiled around it, but was quickly burned by flame coming from within.

Wide-eyed, Zenrus could not help but smile. His mood shifted to a relieved joy before he lowered his head. "Perhaps you will reach ascension once more," he murmured gently. "On your own, in time." He felt something like assent from his old friends as his might held against the aftershocks of divine battle. He was getting old, but their aegis kept him from harm after everyone else was evacuated. Just as he began his march to meet the victorious dragons, they finally separated to become Innominat and Minkkubi once more; a weight lifted from Zenrus' entire being then,

As the greater forms of both siblings continued to devour what was once Maotelus, Velvet and Laphicet came to kneel on opposite sides of the receding silver light. It soon revealed an unclothed seraph boy, his eyes closed in slumber. His pale blond hair was in disarray, a youthful chest rising easily while his flame burned away remnants of Malevolence.

Velvet met her brother's eyes, and smiled. They won. He was safe.

 

[Naron]

He felt light and unburdened for the first time in what might have been eons. Every moment felt longer or shorter as the Malevolence burned through his very being, tried to corrupt his soul like it did his body. But Maotelus had persevered, and now he was safe. Or at least he believed so; he could not feel his neck or tail anymore, and his four legs appeared different than he recalled. He felt odd in general, too. Perhaps he was dead, with everything being black?

His eyes slid open moments later, disabusing him of that last notion. A blue sky greeted him, free of clouds. Though Maotelus could not rule out a dying dream yet; his own flame did not suffice in pushing back the darkness, so being freed was... unlikely, at best. Not to mention, he remembered hearing Velvet's voice in his neverending nightmare; so he must be delirious.

Blinking, he realised that he could still hear Velvet's voice, as well as another that was faintly familiar. Turning his head and wondering why his neck was so short, Maotelus beheld a sight he never believed he would see again: Velvet Crowe, the greatest woman he knew. Her raven hair fluttered in the soft breeze, falling open like a curtain; it was pretty like this, so well maintained. Although the perspective was odd; she must be a giant with how she towered over him.

Waking further, he wondered why his claws were so soft. Why did his wings not brush against anything, even though he lay on his back? Uncertain, he rather listened in on the... bickering?

"And where would we build it, genius? We just obliterated everything and then tore a crater into the earth."

"We could fill up the chasm," the other voice answered thoughtfully. "The lifepool was damaged, but with the way the land changed, it will grow deeper still. Or we construct something in the chasm's center. Just imagine! A temple held up by fantastical foundations, right on top of an endless abyss!"

He liked the idea, though Velvet heaved a sigh. "Boys," she muttered. "We can't rebuild it the same way. Even if people forgot, it was a symbol to the enslavement of the malakhim."

"But we can build in a similar scale, turning it into a symbol to the wonder of their artes. Besides, we did want a temple for ourselves, right?"

This time Velvet chuckled; it was nice to hear her voice again, though Maotelus could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. The earthpulse kept flowing beneath, mana pooling up as it had for millennia. Except, like the other voice said, even more pronounced now. Turning his head a little further, he found that they were at the edge of a great chasm... where he felt a village should have been? And the Empyrean's Throne?

He blinked dumbly, trying to recall what happened; his memories were hazy. Trying to grasp for the lifepool and its Earthen Historia was futile; something blocked his approach, as if slapping his hand away. He got a momentary impression of frightening gold. That was when he finally remembered who that other voice belonged to.

"Oh, he's awake."

The warmth within Maotelus receded, even when Velvet turned his way with clear surprise. She leaned over him, expression quickly becoming tender. A calloused hand stroked his head and... hair?

"Hey."

He was more than just confused now; without any understanding of his situation, the dragon of light figured once again he must be dead. Except that everything felt too real for what he imagined death to be like. Not to mention that Innominat would never feature in his dreams; the former Empyrean's humanoid avatar appeared next to Velvet, expression carefully blank. A surge of old anger and despair made Maotelus buck, but his body was strangely numb; he could not move beyond a pitiful twitch. "It's okay," Velvet soothed him immediately. "Just lie down for now, everything will be fine." He reluctantly believed her, lying still and focussing on her face.

"What... what happened?" His voice was scratched and different, no longer the full and strong timbre he adopted as Empyrean. It sounded higher even to himself.

When Velvet made to explain however, a small hand squeezed her shoulder. "Keep to what you're doing," he told her with confusing gentleness. "I will explain." She yielded without any resistance and returned to comforting him. Maotelus began to understand that his body had changed by now; he returned to his original form.

"Now," his predecessor began matter-of-factly, though he was loath to look at him. "The Empyrean Maotelus is no more." He blinked in response, being unable to even voice his disagreement; he was still there after all, not that the other boy cared. "You were so far corrupted that even your own flame couldn't purify yourself. So we took drastic measures and rent your greater form apart. All we saved was the original you... though I suspect some of your divine power remains. Even without it, you would still be one of the most powerful living seraphim, barring us Empyreans."

Maotelus, no, Laphicet listened quietly. The odd knot in his stomach pulled taut even while he slowly familiarised himself with his old body. It was true, the vast power he once held did not answer his call. He was Empyrean no more, the duty and might of both stripped away. Innominat already claimed the planet as his vessel.

"So I failed?" He could not help but ask. His voice broke, eyes stinging before his vision grew blurry. He took the position for Velvet's sake, and for the people. He failed.

"Yes," Innominat confirmed nonchalantly, drawing his attention. "But that is in the past. We are busy fixing your mess." He did not gloat, though Velvet's sour look might have distracted him. He scowled back at his sister. "I'm not going to praise someone for messing up. I'm not going to comfort him for you, either."

Yet Phi could not even bring himself to be angry. He slowly turned his head while those two bickered, beholding a partly collapsed mountainside and piles of rubble. Fragments of memories surfaced, his fight with the golden and a black dragon. Not even a trace of Malevolence remained, except that which approached them.

Shifting his gaze, he found a group of five closing in. The four women were all strangers to him, but Eizen he recognised just fine. Faintly, he thought there was something about Eizen that he forgot, but the sight of a friendly face put him further at ease. A seraph girl skipped ahead to tacklehug Innominat; he caught her without any issue, holding on tightly. Neither spoke, though the blonde human chuckled at the sight. "She was worried," she informed everyone as the group drew near. "And speaking of, Alisha needs help."

She indicated the blonde hellion, who was more dead than alive now that Phi saw her up close. The other hellion steadied her bloody, broken form.

Velvet was with her in moments, producing a shroud of darkness that she fed into the woman's drooped tail. "What happened to you?" she asked hurriedly while Innominat floated over to weave a healing arte. "Did Maltran mess you up that much?"

In response, the spindly hellion chuckled heartily. "Me?" she inquired, "No. I could leave hardly more than a scratch on her. Alisha threw herself between us and Maotelus' arte. It is a miracle she yet lives."

Did that happen? He could not remember. Velvet and Innominat were just as stumped; the other boy glanced between a mountain and a space where there once was a mountain. "He, uh, shot that away from where you were, though."

"It goes to show the might of a Great Lord," the foxy woman commented wearily. "Regardless, we all survived."

"Sorry," he mumbled from his spot on the ground. His hoarse voice was barely loud enough to be heard, though he made sure to meet Alisha's eyes when he caught her attention. "Didn't mean to."

She immediately inclined her head. "It is of no concern, I am well aware of the situation." As she spoke however, she unclasped her cape and stepped forward to spread it over Laphicet. He blinked up at her, befuddled before realising he had not manifested any clothes; a grateful smile came out more as a twitch of his lips. Alisha smiled back before turning to Velvet again. "And to address the matter of our new addition," to which she motioned for the other hellion who had been watching the proceedings, "Lady Maltran surrendered herself."

"And you think she will behave?"

"She will," the only human confirmed with deceptive calm. "It appears that Hyaci Maltran is blinded by neither pride nor anger. She fell in line when it became clear she lost, once Alisha offered her mercy." The hellion nodded once, her vertically arranged eyes flicking this way and that. "On another note," the human continued, "was that truly an Armatus? That was your emergency measure?"

Velvet and Innominat shivered as one and another memory tugged at Laphicet's mind; he recalled a feeling of great wrongness, and a serpentine dragon. Velvet presented a partly deformed and molten blade, black as well as gold having merged in places. "It was," she confirmed. "And it was necessary. With Magilou dead before she could finish teaching Laphi how to synthesize the silver flame, we had to go by way of force."

"And against the so-perceived chief god?" Innominat chimed in grimly, "even the might of both of us was found wanting. I hoped we could go without using it, that maybe we could subdue him between us after all. Becoming one with Velvet felt wrong on every level." Odd, how Laphicet could agree with the matter even from the outside; going by some other comments, everyone had felt and acknowledged the iniquity of it.

"So that's what you were working on," the black-haired seraph girl mused. After a moment however, she poked Innominat's shoulder with a Magilou-esque, toothy grin. "But maybe you should stop phrasing it in a way that could also apply to incest." Laphicet blinked. The other Laphicet did likewise. In fact, everyone had but a flat stare for the girl, who giggled quietly to herself.

Heaving a sigh, Innominat shook his head. "Only you, Symonne. Only you. Besides, this covers my thoughts on that matter just as well. Not to mention that being fused to Malevolence like this still hurts in the aftermath. I will destroy the remains of this catalyst soon, and then no one will ever speak of this again." He cast severe looks at everyone, including Laphicet who weakly nodded his assent. For some reason however, Innominat immediately covered the girl's mouth when she made to speak. Perhaps that coy grin had tipped him off. "No more lewdness for now, Symonne," he chastised her before turning back to his sister. "Speaking of. Really, Velvet? Zaveid?"

While his comment confused to everyone else, the former therion merely arched an eyebrow at him. "I am the Empyrean Minkkubi, and I do what I want."

"Care to share?" Symonne requested, but neither Empyrean appeared willing to do so. Innominat told her he would get to that later. Laphicet was still wondering about when Velvet ascended and kept quiet.

"While we are at it however," the spindly hellion, Maltran, chimed in while taking a knee. "I wish to learn who exactly stands before me. Knowledge of two Great Lords ought not to have been lost so easily." She still matched Velvet in height even while kneeling.

An old voice answered in their stead, turning heads around. "Mayvin obfuscated knowledge of Innominat in order to raise the banner of Maotelus. Lady Minkkubi, meanwhile, has only ascended to divinity in recent years." Zenrus meandered toward them, a wry smile gracing his features. "Though you would have heard of her regardless, child. Before you stands Velvet Crowe, the first Lord of Calamity, slayer of Shepherd Artorius. The only being who ever bested a god."

Maltran stiffened visibly as the old malak went on, though her head lowered even further. "I see. My apologies if I offended," she offered in a more quiet tone.

"To your feet. No one bows before me."

"...very well."

The hellion rose under Velvet's curious gaze. She relaxed greatly, holding herself without any intention of doing battle. Laphicet liked to see her like that, so content. He took a deeper breath and forced himself to focus; a soft, white sweater and pair of pants formed around him, together with the black half shoes he remembered wearing. Then he rose up despite his body's protests, the faint huff of exertion drawing attention to himself; Margaret was by his side near-instantly, a strong arm snaking around Laphicet's shoulder to steady him. "Thank you," he murmured before addressing the crowd: "Before we get to anything else, could you all please stop using my true name? I'm not the Empyrean Maotelus anymore, so just call me Laphicet."

Innominat scowled, Velvet smiled, Margaret and Maltran nodded, Symonne laughed at Innominat, Zenrus inclined his head, and Alisha glanced between Laphicet and... Laphicet. "Pardon, but is there a reason you two share the same name?"

"I wonder," Innominat drawled back with a sour look to Velvet. "Just who might have named him after me, hmm?" Laphicet threw a spark in his face, then glared back when he glowered. They relented when Velvet grabbed them by their ears.

"And that's enough of that from both of you," she declared, her momentary sternness replaced by a softer tone right after: "We are going to make this easy on everyone. While you're both around, this young man is Laphi, and this one is Phi. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they both muttered obediently while Symonne broke into renewed giggles. Alisha and Margaret joined her while Velvet kept staring between them. Only when she let go did Laphicet, Phi, dare to move; he still exchanged a pointed look with Laphi, who appeared to have similar thoughts.

"Such obedient boys," Symonne cooed. "You need to teach me how to get mine to behave sometime, Velvet."

"Maybe I will," she returned indulgently before focussing on Phi. "But for now we should get going. We had enough excitement for one day." He obediently followed her prodding, by now utterly exhausted; even the second wind of gut-churning anger could only carry him so far.

As they passed by Zenrus however, he halted to meet the old malak's eyes. "I'm sorry," Phi told him. "I couldn't be what you hoped I would." When he averted his gaze however, a soft pat on his head drove away the acrimony. Zenrus' wrinkled face held a rare, gentle smile.

"Do not be, my boy. The world will change once again, yes, but that needs not be a bad thing. The others are certainly excited." A soft breeze caressed them all as if in agreement and Velvet perked up. Zenrus chuckled. "My, you didn't notice? They have been watching this whole time, my dear. You certainly have proven yourself in their eyes, and in mine as well." His gaze wandered over the arrayed people who made to follow Velvet. "All of you, really. I have rarely been so proud in my life."

They may not know him well or at all, but everyone appeared abashed by his praise nonetheless. Having met Zenrus before, Phi knew he just had that effect on people. The wisdom of eons spent on Desolation radiated from him like a tangible force. Nonetheless, he could not help but clench his fists in the silence. "I will get back there," he vowed. "Even if it takes tens of thousands of years, I will become Empyrean once more. This time of my own power."

The pledge was followed by a tug on his hand. "You can do that once you had a good night's sleep," Velvet chastised kindly. "Now come along." He nodded, the exhaustion flowing back in from wherever it vanished before. Velvet nodded to Zenrus as she passed. "You can come along too... is your village alright?"

"Destroyed, I am afraid. But it was transient either way, I did not expect it to last as long as it did."

"I see. As for you," at which point Velvet's gaze went back to Maltran, "return to Hyland for now. We will contact you sometime soon."

"Very well."

Everything after that was more of a blur to Phi, though he clearly remembered the warmth of being tucked into bed, and a kiss pressed to his forehead. He was out in a heartbeat.

In the living room meanwhile, Alisha finished her recounting of the battle with Hyaci Maltran and her forces. "I offered her clemency, were she to lower her spear and surrender. Perhaps my invoking the both of you swayed her mind in the end." Laphi nodded in understanding while Velvet tapped her knee a few times; then however, Alisha recalled an unresolved matter and addressed the younger Crowe: "If I may, what was that regarding Zaveid you mentioned?"

He huffed, sending his sister an exasperated look. Everyone else eagerly awaited his explanation, though Alisha felt he pontificated on purpose: "Well, you have to remember that during armatisation, both sides become as one. It is an almost complete union, incomplete only because going further might make separation impossible. Minds and souls join together, which includes thoughts and sometimes memories. Or, in other words, I finally know who my sister's mystery suitor is."

That... was not where she expected this to go. Going by the baffled silence all around, neither had anyone else. Curious gazes went to Velvet, who merely shrugged. "It wasn't really important, was it? I'd rather keep things quiet, not like our little charmer over there." As if to prove her point, Symonne was leaning against her boyfriend for a while now. Both seraphim pouted at her.

"That is not exactly the type of man I thought you liked," Margaret admitted shily, though the comment only earned her an amused huff. Eizen shrugged, as did Symonne. Alisha felt it was none of her business, especially because she had her own matters to keep in mind. Then again, her arrangement with Eizen might just be more casual than Velvet's.

"Edna will be shocked," Symonne commented idly. "She'd never think Zaveid would score."

"Well, Velvet might just be the only woman desperate enough to be charmed by him."

All motion froze and eyes turned to Laphi, who wore an amused grin. Velvet scowled at her unrepentant brother. Into this stalemate however, Alisha could not help but laugh. Such a bold comment, rude as it may be, set her off after the stressful day she had. Alisha almost had to kill her teacher, almost died, and beheld the glory of true gods. The laughter drew all tension out of her as she bent over, clutching her belly helplessly.

By the time she got a hold of herself and straightened up with a quiet apology, the tension was gone and there were more smiles all around. "What happens next?" she inquired to change the subject. They let her.

"Phi needs to recuperate for a while," Velvet mused with a glance to the bedroom she deposited the exhausted boy in before. "Laphi and I will see about drawing more Malevolence from the world. Yes, Margaret, I know you want to bond with him. Give him a few days before bringing it up, alright?" Alisha's fellow blonde fingered her pendant again, which the princess now knew was once carved for Artorius' beloved wife. She nodded absently, not even commenting on how Velvet predicted her thoughts.

Thinking of Maotelus, no, Phi and shepherds however, Alisha recalled that there was another problem approaching. Given how well everything went so far, she had to hope. "What about Sorey?"

"He will have noticed the absence of Maotelus' domain," Laphi answered her. "So we should prepare for wariness at least, if not outright hostility." Alisha nodded, though her heart ached. She did not want to fight Sorey, even after their last encounter. He meant well and he was good for Glenwood.

"Well," Eizen chimed in for the first time in a while, "now that we have Laphicet, er, Phi," he corrected after a glare from Laphi, "back, we can start working on this matter in earnest." He had a point, and so they got to it.

 

[Naron]

None of them missed the vanishing of Maotelus' domain. Rose needed an explanation for why the air felt subtly different soon after a shock went through the world, but she came to the same conclusion Sorey and Mikleo reached: the Great Lord was gone. A dead silence hung above them all, even the sailors being affected by their horrified brooding.

"What exactly does this mean for us?" Dezel finally asked. He did not look up from where he was feeding a few seagulls. Neither Sorey nor Mikleo had an answer. Zaveid, however, did.

"That," the older wind seraph explained without any of his usual bluster, "means Velvet's plan failed." He immediately had Sorey's undivided attention, who failed to notice the look Edna threw Zaveid; she did not stop him from elaborating, however: "Maotelus was on the brink of total corruption for a while now. The plan was to save him, but if he's gone then he must have been beyond salvation." He was staring out at sea by this point, arms folded behind his back.

Sorey listened intently and wondered how he missed Maotelus being under threat. Perhaps he had never been, he reasoned. A Lord of Calamity would obviously lie as easily as they breathed, this one in particular. He well remembered the friendly woman they all met at the Crowe's Nest; her gentle smile had felt so real that he never questioned her. "Did you actually check?" he inquired, only to receive a shrug from Zaveid's back. "Because I doubt she was truthful. This might have been a plot to kill Maotelus and take his place." Or something of the like, but his mind jumped on the idea the moment it appeared.

Oddly, Zaveid barked out a laugh instead of considering the matter. Turning around to face Sorey, the taller man's mocking grin conveyed his thoughts clearly. "Sure, if that makes you happy. Make sure you say that to her face so she kills you quickly when you go to confront her, yeah?"

The open disregard for their chances left Sorey stunned, which gave Edna time to chime in: "You think he will?"

"Well, yeah. Obviously? I mean, look at the faces they're all making."

The earth seraph cast pointed looks around, though they went ignored as Sorey sought his brother's and squire's eyes. Mikleo was as lost as he if even more worried, but Rose made no motion to hide her irritation. "And what are we supposed to do?" she snarled at Zaveid. "You say we shouldn't at least try taking down this Lord of Calamity that was right under our noses this whole time?"

Needless to say, Zaveid was unimpressed by her temper. "Heh, cute." Rose scowled, which was once again ignored. "Velvet ain't Lord of Calamity anymore. Hasn't been in ages. She's a Great Lord by now, the seventh. You try fighting that when she's got Innominat on her side."

"But we need to do something! If we don't, then the world is theirs!"

"It already is," Edna corrected Sorey's outburst. "Maotelus is gone and from what Laphi told me, the elemental Empyreans are on their side. You can't win this, Sorey." Her flippant response drew an outright glare from him, to which she merely arched an eyebrow. "They already did the impossible before, and in their hands are several long forgotten artes. Laphicet is a genius of his age with the powerful mind of an Empyrean added to it, he developed new artes and single-handedly rediscovered the process of crafting armatisation catalysts. Velvet is just as powerful, having learned the blade under Artorius himself and ascended herself from a hellion to a goddess."

She paused there to gauge his reaction, but Sorey knew, just knew there had to be something to be done about them. Edna might have seen it in his eyes, for she sighed. "Life is not a story, even if it sometimes feels like one. Innominat was defeated when Velvet abused the nature of her connection to him to create an infinite loop to base a seal on. You do not have such a little detail to exploit, you are just a man with a sword. You have a woman with two daggers along. Fight, and you die."

"What do you even care?"

Edna flinched back from his flat tone and Sorey regretted the words immediately. Before he could apologise however, his companion turned around to stand next to Zaveid. Her umbrella turned evenly, hiding the girl from sight. "I care," she assured him quietly. "I do not care enough to abandon them, but I care." She fell silent for long moments, the next part so quiet he barely heard: "If nothing else, I don't want you to die."

But even if he died, he had to try. Sorey did not know how to convey his feelings to her, however; they refused to be put into words. It was his duty as Shepherd to confront the Lord of Calamity, present or former. Heldalf had to wait while he dealt with this greater evil.

"Might as well save your breath," Zaveid drawled, "kid's too stubborn to change his mind." He ignored Sorey's glare as he had Rose's. "I'm out once we're off the ship. I hung around 'cause Velvet asked nicely and 'cause I wanted to make an effort for Maotelus." No one responded, he merely received nods from the humans and Mikleo; they all expected him to leave sooner or later, so it was no great surprise. Zaveid next tapped Edna's shoulder. "What about you?"

The cries of seagulls filled the silence that followed. Edna stared out at sea for a long time, never turning around to meet their eyes. The longer she kept quiet, the more worried Sorey got; he expected Zaveid to leave, but not her. Yet she was involved with Velvet and Laphicet, so her loyalties lay elsewhere. "Don't know yet," she ultimately muttered. "But I guess I'll stay around a bit longer. Keep the idiots from getting killed, at least."

"Waste of effort, but alright. I'll let them know when I get back to Lastonbell."

And now they did not even hide the fact they were reporting to them. Sorey almost tore at his hair in anger, but stopped himself. Mikleo pinched the bridge of his nose before shepherding both him and Rose away to plan. The squire's brows were furrowed. "We must make the attempt," she quietly decided, "even if it is futile. She got that title for a reason."

"But we need a plan and it has to be good. Maybe gramps knows something."

While the three of them began to bounce ideas off each other, a seraph boy woke on the continent. Maotelus yawned before snuggling into his soft pillow. He was warm and content for the first time in a long while. As the haze of sleep receded somewhat, his eyes blinked open and he rolled out of bed, gracefully landing on all fours. It took him several steps to remember he was bipedal again, at which point Laphicet quickly rose; his cheeks burned, though the absence of anyone who might have seen quickly asserted itself.

Thanks to the wonder that was opposable thumbs, he quickly managed to open the door and took in his surroundings. Not a soul was to be found, though he could feel the presence of many malakhim in the area. In addition, he could hear quiet voices from a room adjacent to the corridor he stood in. Sneaking along, Laphicet soon poked his head into a cozy living room, which was indeed occupied. He noticed a seraph girl he faintly recalled meeting, as well as someone he really did not want to see. Innominat's, Laphi's gaze snapped to him within moments and they silently exchanged glares; the fact Symonne was perched on his once-nemesis' lap took some of the force out of it however. She cheerfully waved him inside.

Well, he reasoned with himself while entering, at least he now knew it was not a fever dream. Though those two being so snug irritated him for some reason, he did not let it show. "Are you sure I'm not interrupting?" Phi asked instead. Going by Laphi's grimace, he was; the other boy did not speak his mind, though.

"It's fine, come on in." Symonne gave no indication that she was aware of the tension as she kept motioning him closer; then again, she also nestled further against Laphi... who shoved her off his lap, resulting in a surprised squeak. "Hey, I was comfy!"

"Not the time anymore," her boyfriend (?) returned matter-of-factly, attention solely on Phi who crept into the room while watching for surprise attacks. "And stop doing that, I wouldn't have waited until you wake up to finish you off." He had a point and even through his bout of paranoia, Phi felt silly. He stopped glancing around to focus on a mirthless Laphi instead. Symonne made to lie square on the couch after being pushed there, resting her feet on Laphi's lap instead. The incarnation of Innominat frowned, closing his eyes. "I believe a conversation is in order," he offered calmly. An olive branch of sorts, Phi understood.

Settling opposite to the two malakhim, he despondently crossed his arms. "About what?"

"About where we stand." Laphi's tone adopted an edge of annoyance at that point. "I don't like you and you don't like me, that much is obvious." Symonne made to speak, but thought better and closed her mouth to let Laphi continue: "But you are Empyrean no longer, and thus I have retaken my place. I figured we would have this talk as equals, but this makes it easier." He immediately noticed Phi's frown, but pre-empted the accusation already forming in his throat. "No need to negotiate about who goes where in the hierarchy. Or how to divide the planet as our vessel. I'm not planning to suppress mankind or go back to sleep anytime soon."

Phi closed his mouth. He expected some kind of insult about himself being beneath Laphi, not an actually practical concern.

"So for Velvet?" Symonne chirped from where she was lounging, to receive a nod from Laphi. Phi figured much the same, though confirmation was always good.

Still, he could not help but taunt his old enemy a little more: "Since when do you care about her again?" After everything he did, Phi left unsaid. Laphi understood him just fine, going by the renewed glare. The other boy opened his mouth to retort, but Symonne pushed his jaw shut with her foot, tutting at him. She appeared just as indifferent to his annoyance as Phi was.

After being reprimanded, Laphi took a few deep breaths to center himself before responding. "Yes, I do. She is my sister. We put the past aside and started fresh when we woke up a few years ago. I'm being nice with you for her sake, because she wanted you saved so badly. You don't need to like me, but I hope you can at least keep things cordial for her, too."

It was oh so tempting to keep poking the hornet's nest, knowing that Velvet would keep her brother from doing anything. But despite everything else, Phi knew he was better than that, not to mention how disappointed Velvet would be if he kept at it. So he inclined his head. "Alright." The matter settled, he glanced between the other two and decided to broach this subject neutrally. "You two seem close."

Almost as if by a miracle, Laphi's expression softened; he glanced to Symonne as well with a fond little smile. She giggled in response before throwing Phi a wink. "Made him my boyfriend a while ago."

"Despite being pushed around?" he could not help but ask after that earlier display. Symonne just shrugged, though Laphi huffed.

"Symonne is like an invasive species. She comes into your personal space and refuses to leave on her own accord. Subtle hints or words don't work unless they align with what she wants." The girl stuck out her tongue, though she did not refute the commentary.

"It's not my fault you and Edna are both stuckups."

That name rang familiar, but he could not place it. Still, the way they spoke about her confused Phi a little. "And who is Edna?"

"My girlfriend," Symonne chirped victoriously before pointing her thumb at Laphi. "And his other girlfriend. I'm an insatiable glutton, you see. I'd rather gobble up two cuties than one." She giggled over Laphi's exasperation while Phi felt his cheeks warming from the innuendo. He could not even get himself to be annoyed at Laphi, seeing how this was clearly not something he pushed for.

"Anyway," Laphi ultimately put an end to the mirth, "you should have a few words with Margaret. She wanted to talk to you first thing, but held back after seeing you on the verge of collapsing." Symonne immediately sobered up while Phi nodded.

"Margaret was... that human girl, right? The blonde?" Both nodded and he pondered momentarily. Here was to hoping she was not some kind of fangirl. "Do you know what she wants from me?

Going by how they exchanged glances, they knew. Symonne ultimately shrugged and raised one foot to idly motion with instead of her hand. "Her reasons are her own to share, but she wants to bond with you and become Shepherd."

That was better than what Phi feared, although he assumed there was more to the matter. Going by how Laphi appeared in favour of the matter however, he wondered just who she was. "And you think she's up to it?"

"I'd say yes. Symonne?"

The girl huffed as if amused. "I've been with her for about a year now, and I can assure you: there is not a human alive more suited to being your vessel. The original plan was to become your pactkeeper, which she has the resonance for." Phi's eyes widened a fraction at the news and he nodded along as Symonne continued thoughtfully: "Well, Alisha would be just as suitable, if she had resonance and weren't a therion. But you know what I mean."

He took slow breaths, considering the matter with a glance to Laphi, whose expression became unreadable. "I'll hear her out and decide then," Phi allowed softly. "You were right that I'm no longer an Empyrean, so I will need a vessel sooner or later."

"Unless you'd become sub-" "No."

Symonne's teasing comment was shut down before she even finished, and by both boys at once. They scowled at each other momentarily before relaxing. Phi felt that now was as good a time as any and rose. "Where is she, then?" He would rather get this out of the way.

The clearing of a throat brought their attention to the door, where Margaret stood with a blank face. "Pardon me, I could not help but overhear," she admitted while stepping into the room, her very appearance striking Phi as familiar; he could not tell why the way she held herself felt so uncanny, though. "I wished to speak to you about several matters."

"Should we leave?" Laphi interrupted before they got any further. Margaret offered a minute shrug before glancing to Phi, who shrugged back. He did not care either way, for now.

"However you wish. I don't want to hide from the two of you, but if you rather give us privacy?" Neither moved and so Margaret inclined her head before turning back to Phi. Her hand moved up to her throat, caressing a pendant the malak faintly remembered as well; but where had he seen it before?

Before he found an answer to that question, Margaret undid the clasp on her neck and offered the pendant to him. "I believe this belongs to you."

Phi stared at her, as did the other two. He reached out hesitantly to receive the gift, then studied it from up close. A wooden carving, clearly made by an adept yet not a master. Two bright feathers crossed over a dark circle. "I know this," he muttered more to himself, "but I just can't remember where I've seen it before." Looking up, he found a crestfallen smile being forced from Margaret's face.

"It once belonged to your mother," she coaxed gently, and Phi remembered. Staring down at the keepsake, he kept listening in shock. "I once carved it for her, then kept it to remember her by when she passed. It should have always been yours, and I'm sorry it took so long for you to receive it." His wide eyes sought Margaret's, whose stance he could now place. Ever alert, ever ready. She had steeled herself. "Upon me rest the soul and the sins of Artorius Collbrande," she revealed, her voice as fragile as glass. "And I desire to atone for all of them."

He had no words. Staring between the impossible girl in front of him and the pendant in his shaking hands, Phi did not know what to do. What to say. What could he say to the one who, apparently, bore the soul of his father? The man who started it all, and whom he himself helped kill.

A glance to Laphi and Symonne earned him solemn nods, though the girl was frowning about something. Phi returned his gaze to the pendant with racing thoughts, then eyed Margaret again. She waited for his response, but he noticed the way her fingers twitched. The barely aborted fidgeting proved more than he could handle, and so Phi was once more stared at the keepsake he held; after a thousand years, nothing else of his mother was left. And Margaret gave it to him, regardless of how much Artorius had loved his wife.

"T-Thank you," Phi ultimately murmured as his fingers closed around the pendant. He never had anything of her. "I will treasure it always."

His feelings were still a giant whirl, but he knew this much; his mother loved him from the bottom of her heart, even after she was reincarnated as Seres. Phi carefully fitted the pendant around his neck under three pairs of eyes, until the faintly warm wood rested on his skin. Margaret wore a melancholic sort of look now, inclining her head. She said nothing else however, so Phi prodded gently: "You want to bond with me?"

"...yes. I want that."

"To make up for the past?"

"Yes."

He nodded softly, eyes going to Laphi. Phi knew not which answer to give, but after everything, he wanted to give her a chance. He could always sever their bond later and after he already managed to work something out with Innominat of all people... he wondered why not?

"Alright. I'll accept you as my vessel, and with my flame, grant you the title of Shepherd." Margaret started by his acceptance, clearly having expected a different answer. Phi slowly reached out one hand to the girl, who caught herself and produced the arte of bonding. Somehow, he doubted he would regret his choice.

 

[Naron]

The two women facing each other were serene, if inwardly tense. To Alisha, the biscuits and tea felt more challenging than their occasional spars; perhaps it may merely be the subject matter she needed to discuss, the therion mused. She did not like having to bring it up, but there was no helping the matter. Once they both had a chance to enjoy the beverages a kind seraph on staff brewed for them, Alisha cut to the chase: "I believe it is time for us to carry on with our separate tasks, and go our separate ways."

Margaret stopped dead, her expression indicating that she did not expect this subject. Alisha felt she saw a certain amount of hurt flash over her face as well, though it was gone instantly and replaced by pensiveness. "If this is about you being a hellion?" she ultimately asked, to which Alisha found herself hesitating.

"Yes and no," she began, "while this is one of my reasons, it is by far not the most important." She was interrupted by an audible clink as Margaret put down her cup, pinning the befuddled Alisha with her gaze.

"Alisha Diphda. We are sisters in arms, have stood against more powerful beasts than most encounter in a lifetime, beheld the might of the gods together." Her tone brooked no argument or interruption and Alisha wilted while her friend continued: "I would lay down my life to protect yours, as would you for myself. We have shared joy, grief, hope, and recently even a bed. So as your friend, I expect to never hear such nonsense again. I expect you to never even think such nonsense again. Hellion, human, or seraph, it makes no difference to me." Alisha nodded meekly, though the gaping abyss in her stomach felt oddly filled for once. And not from the food. Margaret nodded imperiously. "Good. Now continue."

There went her next reason; she had been feeling the slightest bit awkward about the intimacy they engaged in not long ago, but Margaret soothed that away. Now Alisha merely had the greatest one left. "My personal worries aside, it is about time I returned home. Glenwood is safe once more, and so my gaze turns toward Hyland; my brother, His Majesty the king must see reason. So I will go and lay it all out to him. Once there, I will continue to elevate the country, eliminate sources of discontent and Malevolence."

Margaret calmed down as she laid out her reasons. "You put a lot of thought into this," the younger woman mused; Alisha nodded regardless, expression firm. Her fellow blonde sighed. "But I see your point now. As Shepherd, I can not focus overly much on either of the two realms in the name of neutrality." She received another nod, these being Alisha's foremost considerations. "What if he doesn't see reason? If the council poisoned his mind while you were gone?"

The therion lowered her head in despondence at the idea. "Then I will do what I must," she declared flatly. "No matter how much my heart bleeds at the mere thought."

They fell silent for a while, each woman following her own musings. Margaret refilled their cups in the interim. Neither met the other's eyes for a long while and when they finally did, the younger one's gaze firmed up. "Why do you think birds fly, Alisha?"

She felt as if someone asked her that question before, but could not remember who, when, or where. Alisha knew Margaret liked to ask about peoples' opinions in that manner, however. She took another sip of tea while mulling over a proper response. "I believe that birds fly to behold all the beauty in this world. From their perch up high they can see so much more than we who remain on the ground, and so they spread their wings." Warmth spread through her cold being as she spoke, the words feeling just right. Only then did Alisha finally remember giving the same answer to Velvet what felt like ages ago, on a cold Winter day, before she ever knew the world's ugly truths.

Margaret's lips curled into a faint if fond smile. "A good answer," she praised. "Though my own is somewhat different. May I?" Alisha nodded. "Thank you. I feel that birds fly because they are born with strong wings," she told the attentive princess. "Wings that let them embrace the sky, and so they fly. It is in their nature to do so."

"I see," she responded when her friend fell quiet. "So we may not quite agree on our priorities." One sought beauty in the world while the other accepted nature as what it was, without a desire to actively change it. "But I believe we can work out a solution if we ever clash, oh gentle Shepherd."

"Heh, don't," her friend commented wrily. "I would prefer to go without another powerful therion on my case. Velvet was more than enough for two lifetimes." They shared a chuckle over that, though Margaret's serious demeanor returned afterward. "But we digressed. Will you claim the crown if you must?"

Now it was for Alisha to sigh. "No," she said. "I shall not, for as long as there are others suitable to wear the crown."

"It honours you to wish for a ruler better than yourself, but I think you would make a fine queen."

"So I gathered," Alisha retorted with a faint smile, "and I am glad you would think so highly of me. Regardless, I am a knight first and foremost; the ruler is required to oversee their realm, to remain in safety so as to not precipitate their early death. Even if I desired the crown personally, which I do not, I can never be the pillar of stability I would need to become." She paused there as her idle thoughts made an odd turn. "Although, thinking of it like that, is this not a preconceived notion I could break with? An eternal queen...." She trailed off, pondering a matter which had never been done before. In the end however, Alisha merely allowed herself another sigh. "But no, I do not see myself in that position."

She indulged in another biscuit while Margaret mused in silence. "I still believe you would make a fine queen," she began in the end. "And there is something to be said for the long-term stability an undying ruler could grant. Realms rise and fall by the mettle of their rulers as much as their people. Conversely, your eternal presence at court and among the ruler's advisors would serve much the same purpose." She paused to crack a smile then. "But I'd like to see you don the purple, Alisha. If anyone earned such a position, it is you."

"I... do see your point." And was that the beginning of Alisha reconsidering? "But would my people truly accept a hellion for a queen?" Margaret's flat stare was response in itself and she wilted. "Forget I asked."

Yet now that her friend brought it up and made her case, she could not help but wonder; Alisha never saw herself fit to wear the crown, but perhaps, just maybe, Margaret had a point. She would have to reconsider her options, especially in regard to succession. "I will give the matter some more thought," she offered before closing this subject: "What about yourself? Do you plan to follow the Shepherd's path until its conclusion?"

"For the time being, yes." Margaret studied her finely crafted cup from up close, deep in thought. "I will travel and aid the people of Glenwood, all while spreading the word of Minkkubi and Innominat. The churches of Hyland and Rolance require my input as well, not to mention the many seraphim that will soon have to integrate into their communities. It will be a few hectic years, both before and after Laphi can spread his domain to last eternal. Once all humans can interact with seraphim and hellions, the world will change once again. I am just uncertain if I will see it."

"You should not speak like this," Alisha admonished, but Margaret shook her head with a fond smile.

"Change takes time," she insisted. "Even constant improvements will not save the world in a day, that is not how humans work. But I know change will come. So... promise me something?"

"Anything."

Margaret hesitated, placing her cup down with an odd finality. "If I do not live to see the change we so desire, then, Alisha, make certain that when next I am reborn, I can see it." She never averted her gaze from her friend's widened eyes, though Alisha's vision grew blurry under tears.

"I promise," she choked out under the onslaught of emotions. "No matter what, this I so swear."

"Thank you."

They exchanged watery smiles; with some hesitation, Alisha stood and rounded the table to embrace her friend. Margaret squeezed her tightly, well aware that it was usually her to initiate such contact. The therion knew that the real work was just about to begin, what with the many issues they could not just fight their way through, but she was hopeful. Dealing with Sorey and the matters of her own heart, confronting Hyland's ruling class, they would get to it. For this moment, she merely appreciated her dear friends, who went through fire and flame right by her side.

Later that same day, the two of them and Margaret's seraphim accompanied Laphicet the elder, or Innominat, to talk to the village elder of Elysia. It was Alisha's first time meeting Zenrus, though he offered her a faint smile despite his stern demeanor. "It is high time we meet," he greeted Alisha in particular, then chuckled. "Though I expected different circumstances."

Zenrus made a sweeping motion to indicate the Crowe's Nest surrounding them. Elysia had been destroyed by the battle, leaving him and the other seraphim little choice but to relocate. Half the population had already scattered to the winds as they were wont to do, the rest remained by his side. Regardless of that, Alisha offered him a soft nod. "My heartfelt condolences for the loss of your home."

"None of that, young lady. Home is where the heart is. You can rebuild a house, but you can never retrieve lost love." Margaret and Phi both fidgeted at that, though Zenrus rather regarded Eizen. "Then again, never say never. Despite its grueling name, Desolation has always been full of wonder. Now, enough sentimentality; I heard you clashed with my boys some time ago?"

"Indeed I did," she confirmed dourly, her awe making way for melancholy. "My calling was not amidst the light, but in the darkness. Unfortunately, Sorey declined to agree, the last time we met."

"So I heard," Zenrus murmured; his ancient eyes never left Alisha, excluding everyone else from the conversation for now. "I have to apologise for that. It was ultimately my failure to teach the boy about distinguishing different types of hellions. Your will is strong and your heart sings even now."

"It is quite alright," she deflected kindly, though the praise lifted her spirit nonetheless. "But I believe there are more urgent matters to discuss?" She nodded to Laphi and Zenrus hummed in agreement.

"Why, yes. Young Enya told me of your designs for a nation of seraphim. And you're a brat for it!" The boy reeled back, as did everyone else at the sudden rise in volume. "Separate everyone from their chosen homes and from humans? How foolish of you, boy! That is how the malakhim began, not how we want to become!"

He glowered at Laphi, who scowled back momentarily. Then Phi shoved his shoulder. "He's right and you should know that best." Instead of backing down when the glare shifted to him, the seraph boy merely stared back. "Malakhim will soon walk amongst humans without visible distinction because of you. Why shepherd them away, prevent them from interacting with humans?"

"...point taken," Laphi conceded grudgingly. "It was mostly just an idle idea, anyway. To have a place for seraphim to go if they need it, not to pre-emptively remove them all from human society."

"It is still a bad idea," Zenrus cautioned; his sudden shift back to calm and reasonable left Alisha somewhat befuddled. "Creating a safe haven for our kind is good in itself, but not by way of a full realm."

"Um." Enya immediately wilted when her interruption brought attention to her; no one prompted her however, and she visibly firmed up after a few seconds. "Perhaps a temple, or something like that? I was just thinking about all the things you told me about the Empyrean's Throne and figured that might work, or maybe build something like that elsewhere... because I kinda forgot there is a big hole where it used to be...." she trailed off there, ducking her head in embarassment. Phi winced in sympathy.

"And the same for hellions," Alisha chimed in before they could get lost in a tangent. "I understand that most will be fine with the silver flame as well as Innominat and Minkkubi present, but there will always be those who feel happier like this." She did not need to list herself as an example, they all understood. "Therefore they, too, should possess a place they can go."

She left everyone time to mull it over, though Laphi did not need long to pipe up: "We are starting to set dangerous precedents. If hellions and seraphim have such havens, then humans need one as well. But in the long term those places may attract people who don't want to be among the others; they would breed discord."

"A fair point," Zenrus granted without pause, "except that you and your sister are supposed to prevent that. As much as we may dislike the notion, humans are the focal point of both seraphim and hellions. So only those two need safe havens. If now Innominat were to safeguard one, while Minkkubi protects the other, you could keep an eye on things."

"Hm." Laphi tapped his chin in thought while Alisha quietly agreed with Zenrus' consideration. The fact aside that there were far more humans than of the other two, society really did focus on them. How much of that was based on past and current circumstances or the different quantities however, she could not ascertain. Laphi appeared to agree as well. "You have a point there, again. How about this then: for now we rebuild a temple above the chasm for seraphim to go, and we build one to the north of Hyland for hellions."

"Why there of all places?" Margaret inquired curiously. Laphi grimaced.

"That's where Aball was. We found it some time ago, claimed by the sea. So now we're building a temple where it all began." Alisha felt once again out of touch, considering everyone except Zenrus had some kind of reaction. When he saw her lost look, the boy thankfully elaborated: "The village where Velvet and I were born, and reborn as daemon and malak."

He left it at that, but she did not need any more information. Instead of wallowing in sympathy however, Alisha changed the subject: "Speaking of Velvet, where is she?"

"Talking to our newest collaborator," he told her with a shrug. Alisha needed a moment to remember who the boy meant.

"Perhaps I should have done this sooner," the woman in question said that moment; she was far distant from Lastonbell, facing the woman who eclipsed even a giant such as Georg Heldalf. "Where have you been these last decades?"

"Sealed," Velvet retorted without much inflection. Hyaci Maltran wondered whether she had to extrapolate the reason of her displeasure, but the goddess of darkness brought it up on her own: "You don't sound to have much loyalty for his cause."

Hyaci allowed herself a huff. "It is by my choice that my loyalty is given, and my choice by which it is retracted," she explained curtly. Velvet frowned and the lesser woman continued: "I did not follow the Lord of Calamity for ideological reasons, but because I saw he could fulfill my own desires. Had I known what you revealed today and what I witnessed two days prior, I would have reconsidered my stance long ago."

The two of them held each other's gazes for a time, ignorant of the passing of time. Nature called around them, the buzzing of insects and occasional noise of larger fauna; as always, it had begun to reclaim what was left of the Spiritcrest, sprouts of grass emerging from the plains. Hyaci already heard people refer to it as Dragon's Claw, paying tribute to the thin, fingerlike mountains which remained surrounding the area.

When neither woman gave signs of breaking the mutual staredown, Velvet followed up: "And what is it you want?"

"The crown."

She had meant to hold back on her ambition for a while longer, but being asked directly was just as well; going by her bemusedly arched eyebrow, Velvet had not expected them to go that way. Hyaci elaborated without prompting: "I was born with nothing fourty-eight years ago. A commoner orphan, little better than a street urchin. Yet I never let my circumstances stop me from excelling, from growing. I survived until reaching adulthood, then enlisted and became a decorated soldier. But why stop there when I could always go beyond?" She smiled mirthlessly, fully aware of the other woman's understanding. "I spent decades working on my ascent from nothing into the nobility, savage and compassionate in equal measure. Yet to rise further, I needed more time. Becoming a hellion over twenty years ago was perfect in itself, but the downfall of all nobles in Malevolence would have been the final step for me to seize power. Who else than the Blue Valkyrie, beloved knight and heroine of the kingdom?"

"You're a well-known face at court and your advice is acknowledged by all, despite your beginnings." Velvet mused in response while studying Hyaci intently. This left her distinctly uncomfortable. "I won't pretend I understand entirely as I never suffered too much hunger, but I know the value of hard work. I can see your logic as well. But out of curiousity: once you have become queen, what next?"

She was clearly trying to draw Hyaci into a logic trap or some kind of epiphany, but the older woman merely huffed again. "My design for the crown was thirty years in the making, Ms. Crowe. Even with Lord Heldalf, it would have taken at least another ten years to come to fruition. Until that point, all my effort was pointed in reaching higher and only afterward would I consider what next. There is nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Another momentary staredown followed, but this time Velvet backed down. "No. You're certainly ambitious, more so than me. I would have been happy living in my village, being a huntress and looking after my family. Life was not so kind to me," she finished mirthlessly; Hyaci arched an eyebrow in response, but Velvet did not elaborate. "Not that it matters. If you want the crown, that is Alisha's choice to make. The Empyreans will soon step back from the people and let them determine their own fate."

"Which makes her the most powerful living hellion by far," Hyaci concluded. "And thus the kingmaker." She could see Velvet's point, though it prompted a sigh nonetheless. "She will not give me the crown, I know her well enough. Which leads back to why I would have reconsidered my alignment earlier, had I known: with the situation as it is, there is no more guessing. Before me is an insurmountable gap that force of arms can not bypass. Therefore, I could only be queen if you bestowed such upon me. And so, I need to find myself another goal to reach for."

Hyaci offered Velvet a mirthless smile even as her entire being seized up in conflicted feelings. She knew better than to let her anger or distress show, or the sadness she felt. Twenty years and more, only to fall short. Velvet, however, smiled. "You will find something," she encouraged the other woman. "People like you are a rare breed, the kind that never gives up and keeps on going. You actually remind me of an old friend like that."

Then however, she hesitated with another glance over Hyaci. "But perhaps you should stop worrying about your station now. You already made it high. Maybe focussing on something else would do you good." The blatant dismissal grated on her, but lashing out would yield her nothing. Hyaci carefully schooled her expression.

"I will consider it," she allowed in the end. Only once their preliminary discussion was over and Velvet left for other matters did Hyaci return to the subject matter; in the end, she did not know what to do. And as the slayer of Artorius, after freely admitting she would have been fine never leaving her home, perhaps there was some wisdom to Velvet's suggestion. Or perhaps she meant to tell Hyaci that life tended to be unpredictable. She would have to ponder the matter a while longer.

Days later and half a continent away, Runette Forton emerged from the teleportation gate beneath Horsa. "It is done," she declared upon her arrival. Enid and Rodeen both looked up from the books they were reading, only to find their sister approaching them with a rare smile. "The Lord of Calamity has fallen, and Glenwood may now march into a new golden age." The youngest Forton sister embraced both lamias and quickly reverted into a similar shape.

"We noticed," Enid retorted in a quiet deadpan, though she squeezed Runette just as much. "Praise be the Great Lords."

"Praise be," her little sisters echoed and they separated with elation, though Runette hesitated noticeably before speaking again.

"If you wished to return home, I could arrange it," she offered after a moment. Enid huffed and shook her head at once while Rodeen considered the matter a moment longer before declining; they had made their peace with it all. Not that it stopped Runette from trying: "I would much prefer to have you near," she admitted, "it has been a long time."

"Oh Runette." Rodeen embraced the younger woman again and ruffled her silky hair. "You've always been the baby, just how did you become Cardinal?" Runette squawked under her sister's attention, but only weakly tried to fight her off. Rodeen continued gently: "It doesn't matter if we are near or far. Wherever you are, our hearts are with you and yours is with us. So stop being a baby."

Runette huffed at that, though she did not miss Enid's calculating look. Once it was clear her wariness had been noticed, the oldest sister spoke up: "You already knew we are content here, as unorthodox as it may appear. And while you are the baby-" at which point she received a slap from Runette's tail that did not even sting "-you are also smart enough not to try anyway... unless there is a reason for it. So, why are you here?"

Rodeen had begun to search her little sister's expression as well; the blank mask she put in place was as good as a confession. She held her temper in check through force of will and merely waited for Runette to break. She always did when family was concerned. Although it took them an actual minute of quiet staring this time, by which point the silence had grown mightily uncomfortable. Runette lowered her head with a soft sigh. "With the Lord of Calamity destroyed, Lady Minkkubi and Lord Innominat will recede from directly interfering in our matters. They only did to save Lord Maotelus, who was under threat."

Both of them inhaled sharply at the news, but Runette gave them no time to ask questions: "As such, Shepherd Margaret is no longer bound by their demand to ignore the presence of a major bandit group raiding the Empire's people and reserves. I will not pretend I approve of your new... occupation," she continued softly while they digested that, "but I know for a fact you can not win in such a confrontation. So I would wish for you two to leave with me, for the gentle shepherd will arrive soon to discuss the matter with van Aifread. I believe she will demand he dissolve this group first, instead of forcing the matter immediately." She fell quiet then, making a helpless motion. "But if I had my way, you two would be far away by then."

Seeing that Rodeen had begun to seethe over learning that her new home was threatened, Enid put a hand on her shoulder as she considered the matter. "You heard about this?"

"Lady Minkkubi arrived to discuss further proceedings with me," Runette admitted. "She mentioned something along those lines."

"And what kind of proceedings would that be?" Enid inquired further, this time out of actual curiousity. Runette indulged her, explaining about Innominat's domain and how it would be spread over the world within a few years. Hellions and seraphim would be revealed to all, allowing them to interact freely for the first time. The older Fortons were in awe, but worry dug its way into their hearts nonetheless; being what they were, neither of them appreciated the idea as much as they might otherwise have.

"I am not sure I could do it," Rodeen mused out loud when their sister fell silent. "To be among people like this and know they can see me, would they not shun me again?"

"Perhaps they might," Runette allowed with a thin smile, "but for how long would they? Humans die, but hellions are eternal. A few decades of distrust or spite may be the most of it, as children would grow up with us in plain sight and if not free of prejudice, then at least with far less of it than the older generations. With myself and Hyland's beloved princess Alisha soon revealed as hellions, we are setting the foundation to understanding and cooperation."

"But we're still not coming with you," Enid finished; Runette deflated visibly, but did not keep arguing. "We'll talk to Aifread about the shepherd, though. Maybe something can be worked out. Now, how have things been in the capital?"

Accepting the attempt to change the subject, Runette began to tell her sisters about recent events in Pendrago. She did not mention the lie she was just told and neither did Enid or Rodeen; they all knew van Aifread would not be swayed. Yet what he did or how the response ended up being was out of their hands regardless; so for the time being, they were just three sisters catching up.

. .
. .​

It had been a week since her conversation with Velvet, but the words remained on Hyaci's mind throughout. She considered the young woman sat in front of her, both of their hands folded in their laps. "Our roles are now reversed," she acknowledged once again. "The student has become the master. Congratulations, Alisha."

"Thank you," her erstwhile student deflected the praise with a soft smile. "But I can not claim mastery when it is physical prowess that sets me apart. Had our battle been one merely of skill, I would have found myself before the same gap you faced that day." Hyaci accepted her compliment with a nod. Alisha met her gaze earnestly, as she always had. "You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes." That was what she had Velvet relay after their discussion. Even if Hyaci already knew the result, she felt she must at least ask. "Being who you are and what power you wield, I wish to hear your designs for the kingdom."

Alisha's gaze lowered to the rough stone table separating them as she considered the question. "I have no greater designs as of yet," she admitted a moment later. "That is, beyond the obvious of forcing the army to desist, by force of arms if necessary. I need to speak with His Majesty first to determine whether he is fit to rule in this new age."

"I see." Perhaps there was a chance after all. "And on the off-chance he is found wanting, did you have an alternative candidate in mind?" The way Alisha pursed her lips spoke of distaste, though Hyaci felt it was at the thought of overthrowing her brother and not the assumption of her playing kingmaker. She knew best that this woman had always coveted turning her realm for the better. When Alisha shook her head mutely, Hyaci played her hand. "Perhaps I may make a suggestion?"

The younger woman's eyes snapped up to meet her narrowed gaze; she understood her meaning fine, the many years at court having honed her sense for subtlety much like they did Hyaci's. "This is why you followed him?" she inquired before answering herself: "No, that would be too simple. For how long did you aim for the throne?"

"Since before your birth," Hyaci admitted honestly. "My original plan was to take over once everything is thrown in disarray by the Malevolence. But as with Lord Heldalf before, I could not hope to overcome you and thus need to adapt my plans around yours." She was far less caustic about it than she would have expected, but then again, Hyaci had an idea for why. She continued hesitantly: "Not to mention that, well, beholding divine might humbled me more than I would have imagined. I will not undermine your decision, regardless which it is."

Alisha slumped then, offering a heavy sigh that any other would have deemed unbecoming of a princess. "Very well," she allowed, "then receive my answer: I don't know." Hyaci blinked while her former student shrugged weakly. "Margaret sweet-talked me into considering the crown for myself and until I made a decisive choice on whether I want it, I can not truly consider granting it to you." That made sense, though Hyaci found herself surprised once again; she never expected Alisha of all people to make a bid for the throne.

"Should you desire it so, I will support you."

"Thank you, truly. As my lady-in-waiting, I would expect nothing less of you." She delivered the news so nonchalantly that Hyaci needed a moment to realise what she just heard. Alisha giggled when her composure cracked in surprise. "Yes, you and only you shall receive that title for the foreseeable future." Hyaci huffed, fully aware of the blatant bribery but appreciative regardless. "Do you accept?"

"Yes."

"Marvelous! Now-" "Hold."

Alisha paused upon being interrupted, having straightened up again by now; Hyaci studied her curiously. "Why would you trust me so easily, despite everything?" Her pointed question made the princess lock up somewhat, though she deigned to answer nonetheless.

"You renounced your allegiance with Calamity Heldalf when given the chance, and it is my belief that no one is beyond forgiveness if only they desire it. You know that." She did. "You may call it naive and be correct, but I refuse to give up on someone I can save. If you use this second chance I grant to betray Hyland again however, I will devour you, as much as it hurts me to even think of that." Alisha hesitated there, but pushed on: "I hardly remember my mother after so long, there is only you in my memories."

The admission came unexpected, but it touched her nonetheless. For the first time in what felt like an age, Hyaci's heart throbbed. She never considered having children. Yet after training and looking after Alisha for over a decade, she found herself barely opposed to the notion, if at all. Glancing back at her former student, Hyaci found her waiting expectantly; merely the errant twitch of her fingers belied her anxiety. A remainder of Alisha's previous bad habit to drum on a table while nervous, she knew. "This is sudden," Hyaci began lamely, uncertain how to proceed. While a part of her knew she could try to butter Alisha up, lean fully into this opportunity, yet another refused. Perhaps it was time she listened to her heart for once instead of her desires. "But I am glad that you think so high of me. And if nothing else, I am proud of you. Even with the odds stacked against you, you grew into a respectable princess and knight."

An honest smile blossomed on Alisha and in the sanctity of her own mind, Hyaci admitted to herself that she liked the sight of it. Now that her mind began to open to the possibility, she considered that if the throne were out of reach, perhaps she should next work for others instead of herself. Few of her fellow orphans could crawl out of destitution like she had, but with some aid and a few precise rulings there might be a way. But those were thoughts for another time. "When do we move?"

Alisha caught her meaning and the moment of warmth faded as both women returned to business. "Soon, but not immediately," she declared. "Sorey is expected back in a few days and I do not want him unaccounted for. All of this happened so fast that he needs to be brought in, or he might backstab us accidentally."

Hyaci heard about the ploy to get Shepherd Sorey out of everyone's hair; it admittedly made her laugh how they baited him with untouched ancient ruins. Regardless, from everything she heard about the young shepherd, he would be a nuisance; Hyaci arched an eyebrow at Alisha. "He might backstab us anyway and going by that grimace, you thought the same thing. I taught you to speak of matters as they are. Manners are for court and the public."

"You did. Then again, which of us started with the careful maneuvering for the throne earlier?"

"...point taken."

They shared a chuckle over that before falling into a thoughtful silence, sometimes interrupted by bouncing ideas back and forth. The matter of their rogue shepherd needed to be addressed indeed.

 

[Naron]

They stepped off the ship nearly two weeks after Moatelus' domain vanished. Sorey almost expected the port to be in shambles, but business went on as usual. In fact, he did not even hear word of anything being different when they disembarked.

"Welp, that's it for me," Zaveid commented once they were on solid ground and said goodbye to the scholars. "Good luck, shepsy."

After almost two weeks trapped on the ocean in impotence and worrying, Sorey's frayed nerves gave out. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he shoved the older man with force. "How about you stop being so arrogant?!" he snarled. Zaveid's baffled expression only lasted for a moment, though it had been there. Then he laughed, which did not help Sorey's mood.

"I meant it, buddy. If you're really going to fight Velvet, you'll need all the luck you can get. She's stronger than when she killed Artorius, and you're not on his level." As right as he was, Sorey simply dismissed the notion and stewed in his anger; Mikleo clapped his shoulder reassuringly, but did not stop Zaveid from walking away.

"What about you?" he then asked Edna, his fellow seraph having watched the proceedings. The girl shrugged.

"I'm staying around for now," was her only comment. Mikleo thought better than to inquire further.

Meanwhile, Rose leaned at a nearby wall with her eyes closed. "There's at least one Bloodwing watching us," she murmured. The winds prevented her words from carrying, though Dezel took a moment to respond.

"I count three and they know I know."

"Yeah, they probably know something's up." She paid little attention to the nearby back-and-forth consisting of Sorey and Edna, the two discussing whether he actually had to fight Velvet. According to their shepherd, the answer was yes because 'she was the Lord of Calamity'. Rose wisely stopped herself from interfering there, well aware how stubborn that man could be. "Maybe we can figure out another solution before he gets himself killed."

That hope of hers died the very next day, when a disheveled Talfryn caught up to them not far out of town. His eyes were sunken and he actually cried at seeing her. "Rose! Thank the heavens you're alright!" Moments later, the perplexed woman received a hug for reasons she did not yet understand.

"Right as rain," she responded nonetheless, rubbing her friend's back a little awkwardly. Her companions shrugged when she glanced their way, though Sorey's expression quickly darkened; Rose felt her own heart sink as the implications of this happening now hit her. "What happened?"

"It, it was horrible," he sobbed. "We got another contract and Eguile gave the go-ahead, but when we got there she, s-she...." he trailed off, all while crumpling against a perfecetly still Rose. 'She', he said.

"Velvet? You went after her?" A soft nod was all she got in return and the clump of ice in her gut grew. "How many?"

"Dozen," he forced out. "She killed everyone else. Gods, she hit Juliette so hard she e-exploded, and Simon got torn apart. Felice and-" "Shh." She shushed the traumatised man and held him tight.

"It's okay, don't say anymore. We'll figure this out." Rose continued to whisper gently, uncaring of the abject confusion from Sorey and Mikleo. She took notice of Edna's blank expression however, and of the anger bubbling in her gut. So much for another solution; Velvet would pay for killing her friends.

"This makes no sense," Mikleo mused quietly while she held Talfryn. He was talking with Sorey and Edna, but Rose listened in regardless. "Why would she go after merchants?"

"She didn't." That comment confirmed it for Rose; Edna knew already, and so she could do nothing to mitigate the damage. The nerds listened attentively while their earth seraph explained: "The Sparrow Feathers are a front for the Scattered Bones assassin guild. From the sound of it, they bit off more than they could chew this time."

"Shut it, squirt." Her quiet reprimand drew a blank look from Edna, though her eyes soon dipped to Talfryn and her expression softened somewhat. While she was already paying attention however, Rose noticed Dezel's condition as well; he stood tense, fists clenched so hard his leather gloves creaked. "Dezel?"

Even when he suddenly became the center of attention, her partner kept glowering at nothing. "I knew it," he growled, "I was not sure until today, but now I know. That girl, Symonne. She is one of Heldalf's agents." The soft breeze which had caressed them on the road so far fell quiet, leaving an eerie silence to his final revelation: "She is the one that got Brad killed."

And suddenly, nothing else mattered. Rose's vision hyperfocussed on Dezel as his words sunk in. Brad. The Windriders' original leader, the man who taught her how to wield the blade. Her foster father. Murdered by a useless prince's plot. Her throat was dry while fire began to burn within Rose's belly; it spread quickly, to the point she even forgot Talfryn for a time. Sorey's quiet inquiry who Brad was, she ignored as well. Only Dezel mattered. "To her be the knife," she growled in response, to which he nodded solemnly. They would kill her, and if it was the last they did.

When her eyes fell on Edna, they narrowed. "Where is she?" Rose demanded, but the seraph girl merely shrugged. "That's not good enough!" she then shouted in Edna's shocked face while shaking her roughly. "Tell me where she is!"

"Whoa, Rose, stop-gah!" Sorey meant to pull her off the frightened seraph, but Dezel pushed him away easily. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done months ago!" Rose roared in response before staring down Edna again. "Now out with it! Where is that bitch?" She knew even through her boiling anger that it was the wrong thing to say; Edna's expression hardened and just an instant later, a rock pillar slammed into her crotch. Pain flared from her center, overriding all else. Her hands fell slack, as did her legs; Rose dropped to the ground with a pained wheeze, curling up and clutching her lady bits.

There was shouting and rushing wind, roaring earth, but by the time she could focus again, Edna was gone. A faint trail of ochre blood ran along the road, together with several deep gouges and craters. Dezel snarled at Sorey and Mikleo, who held him back from pursuing. "Stop this!" the shepherd pleaded even while deflecting another strike of a pendulum. "This is wrong!"

"No," Rose declared flatly. Her voice stopped the others while she slowly got back up. "What's wrong is that we left them be for so long. I don't care if you disagree, we're going to end this once and for all." She hobbled forward, but soon found her stride as the last bits of pain stopped bothering her. A momentary effort had the squire's pact severed, just as Dezel severed his sublord's pact and bonded with her again. She silently took Talfryn by the hand, glared at Sorey some more, daring him to stop them, and began to walk. The men they left behind merely watched them walk away, toward Pendrago and later for Lastonbell.

. .
. .​

When a bloodstained, torn-up Edna limped into the living room, she startled several people. Symonne was thrown off Laphi's lap which she had been sprawled over when her boyfriend surged up; the girl herself corrected the fall and turned fluid to reform upright. Neither of them made it to their girlfriend before Eizen did however; he appeared by her side in the blink of an eye, kneeling with abject terror. "What happened to you?!"

He immediately began weaving healing artes while Edna blew out her scratched cheeks over the fuzzing; her mock pout fell away right quick however. Symonne and Laphi reached moments later to check her over as well, earning a weak smile while the gash on her bad leg began to close. "Rose happened. And Dezel, for that matter." Symonne's heart skipped a beat at the news, fingers clenching around Edna's good hand. She had her girlfriend's grim attention in a heartbeat. "Looks like he decided not to try forgetting you any longer. They're out for blood now, so I made myself scarce."

"What brought this on?" Laphi inquired, his calm tone belied by the scowl he wore; Eizen continued to heal quietly, finishing with his sister's thigh and moving to her broken wrist even though he shook in rage. Others congregated around them while Edna rolled her eyes.

"Turns out Velvet snacked on some assassins recently," she snarked back while throwing the woman in question a look. She shrugged and by the askance stares she now got from Margaret and Alisha, Symonne knew her friends had not been informed either.

"They came after me some time ago," Velvet remarked idly. "It's not like I'm just going to stand there and take it. So I killed them, and I let one get away so the Scattered Bones get the message."

"So that is why you had me keep an eye on them," Enya concluded from the side; even her eternal smile was absent for the moment. "They have gone to ground, not that we can not find them. Um... orders?"

"Annihilate them."

Only Velvet and Eizen did not pause upon hearing the command. Laphi did not hold an ounce of compassion in that moment, to the point even Symonne almost shied away from him. Then however, he leaned forward and gently pushed a stray strand of hair from Edna's face. "Or rather, keep eyes on them until we can do the annihilating. We were ready to live and let live, but that is obviously no longer on the table."

Alisha made to speak, but Margaret tapped her side with a headshake; the therion kept her silence. It was at this point that Eizen finished. "That should be all, at least from what I could see. Any other injuries?" Edna frowned in response as she patted her side, but shook her head.

"Nothing else."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me-" "No." Eizen stopped, outright glaring at a similarly displeased Margaret. Tension grew between them and no one else dared interfere; they all knew what he was about to say. "What?" Eizen drawled dangerously.

"Not yet," Margaret retorted without pause. She stepped forward to meet Edna's gaze. "I need to know who exactly we are after. Zaveid already returned days ago and left again. Rose and Dezel attacked you." She waited for a nod and Symonne realised what question would follow; she was right: "What about Sorey and Mikleo?"

Alisha inhaled sharply as the line of inquiry became clear. Even Eizen grudgingly dropped his scowl, or at least the one directed at Margaret. Edna sighed, however. "Leave them be. Sorey stopped Dezel from following me. I let them in on Rose being an assassin before I left, so they probably already split up." She received nods from all around, though Symonne's thoughts kept circling about the fact this was her fault; she left her girlfriend with a man who had every reason to hate and want to hurt Symonne herself.

"We'll leave him be," Velvet conceded to Edna then. "More or less, at least. I still need to have a few words with him about what he saw on Titania."

"Is that perchance a euphemism?"

"No, I mean only words," she reassured Alisha. "He is the kind that just won't stop, but maybe I can give him some food for thought. Or intimidate him enough that he folds, though I doubt that."

In the meantime, Eizen carefully groomed his sister's hair; she allowed it wordlessly. Going by the way she held still, Symonne thought she might even enjoy his attention.

Then a small turn of her intact umbrella had the orange, normin-esque plush toy dangle right in front of Eizen's face; upon seeing it, his eyes narrowed. After finishing up, he grabbed the toy with a dark glare. "And why have you not protected her like you promised?"

All eyes were back on Eizen and the plush; Symonne wondered what this was about, though her girlfriend rolled her eyes knowingly. Then a dark, masculine voice answered out of nowhere: "I beg your pardon, old friend. I may have grown negligent in my watch over the centuries. I was readying to protect the fair maiden, but by then her friend had already prevented greater harm." Symonne stared at the plush as it detached itself from the umbrella and grew, suddenly pinging her senses for mana. How had a seraph hidden right there in plain sight?

"Alas, I sometimes forget how fickle the human mind can be," the Normin finished. His orange fur bristled even as he hung his head, trailing the faint scent of smoke. Symonne kept staring at him, as did most everyone else until Velvet huffed.

"You kept your watch for a thousand years?"

"Indeed I did, Lord of Calamity. Or would Goddess of Darkness be more appropriate now?" The Normin glanced to Velvet, who wore a faint smile and shrugged.

"Okay," Alisha chimed in curiously, "would anyone mind explaining just why there was a Normin attached to Edna's umbrella?" Margaret and Symonne nodded along, as did Laphi and Enya. Phi giggled in response even as he crouched to shake the Normin's paw.

"This is Phoenix," he introduced, "the strongest of all Normin. We met him all the way back in the Age of the Gods." The boy then fell silent as he mulled over how to phrase something, though Symonne thought he was sheepish for some reason. "We had a bit of a fight back then, about Eizen and Edna." Glances went to Symonne's girlfriend, who shrugged; she did not know. Eizen, however, did.

"Aye. Phoenix agreed to keep an eye on her-" "Which is going to stop now," Edna interrupted pointedly. When Normin and brother turned her way, she continued to stare at them. "I knew he was there for a while, but had no reason to say anything." The nonchalant revelation shocked Phoenix, Symonne noticed; her girlfriend continued without acknowledging that: "But I can take care of myself now."

"Current incidents notwithstanding," Laphi stage-whispered to his sister; Edna flushed, but forced herself to keep facing them.

"Yes. A-Anyway, I'm alright now." She peered down at Phoenix, who shook his head with a smile Symonne felt radiated pride.

"Understood, ma'am. I shall take my leave then, and leave your safety in equally capable hands." Laphi snorted and so did Symonne a moment later. The Normin offered each of them a nod before toddling away. They silently watched him leave and close the door behind himself.

"That was weird," Margaret commented after a while. Then her expression hardened. "Now back to the matter at hand. I will see to the Scattered Bones in person. Eizen?" She earned a severe nod, the older earth seraph's gaze having darkened again. "Good. Phi? Symonne?" They both nodded as well, though Symonne did so with mixed feelings; she was angry, yet at the same time she understood Rose's and Dezel's anger. Regardless, they tried to hurt Edna and picked a fight with the most powerful beings in the world. It was their funeral.

Into the determined moment however, a calm voice sounded: "I will go as well." Alisha's narrow-eyed gaze reminded Symonne that there was one more to their group. "If nothing else, to stand as witness."

"No," Margaret denied. When the therion made to argue, she raised her hand; Alisha's mouth closed and she allowed the younger blonde to explain: "I want you to go with Edna and talk to Sorey. He is not going to listen to Velvet or Laphi. But to you, he just might. The Scattered Bones are already lost, but he can yet be saved. Can you do that?" Both Empyreans frowned at her simply seizing control, but did not contradict her; Symonne could not help but grin at her boyfriend, not that he noticed.

Alisha pondered the question momentarily, but ultimately concurred. "Very well. That is, assuming you wish to return to them, Edna?"

"Yes."

She did not elaborate, but Symonne could guess well enough; her girlfriend did mention that Sorey and Mikleo grew on her over time. 'Like weeds', she described them at that point, though only to hide her genuine affection. Alisha nodded to Margaret, who in turn addressed Velvet: "I hope you don't mind us taking charge, oh Empyreans?"

"Cheeky brat." Velvet huffed right after, clearly not actually angry. "Go right ahead. Desolation is your business now."

Permission so granted, they headed out.

"Wait." Edna's gaze focussed on Phi, who met it curiously. "Aren't you supposed to be a dragon? Or dead?" She earned confusion from several people before Symonne realised that her girlfriend did not get the news yet. They would have to explain that first.

. .
. .​

Even with Dezel's mastery of the wind, having Talfryn along meant they were slower than intended. Yet the anger kept bubbling within Rose, giving every step toward Pendrago purpose. She spent the days making a mental list of targets and tasks to be done; first they had to meet up with the other Bones, then dismantle the Crowe's Nest. Best case, Velvet was already there and could be taken down. Worst case, the strike would draw her attention.

Despite her wrath however, Rose eventually realised a direct strike would be suicide; even if Zaveid exaggerated Velvet's power, she knew what she saw. Innominat was also present and she beheld his past self easily breaking orichalcum.

Before she found a solution however, trouble came to her. Just a day away from Pendrago, Dezel's wind suddenly shifted; Rose was thrown sideways and Talfryn shouted in surprise. They both hit the ground and rolled to bleed off momentum; when Rose turned, she found her partner exchanging blows with empty air. Moments later, Margaret became visible. She seemed to be alone, expression firm as she kept pushing Dezel. Rose surged to her feet and charged into the battle, well aware that the time for words was over.

Talfryn joined her a moment later and the three of them turned the tide; Dezel finally disengaged while Margaret parried and deflected four daggers. Rose grinned, only for it to turn into shock when the blonde sidestepped her, ignored Talfryn whose weapons barely nicked her skin, and ran him through in that same motion. Then she lifted his body to shield from Dezel's pendulums, pulling back smoothly to let the dying man drop. Rose ground her teeth before charging again; Margaret made a half-turn to intercept her, but Dezel's synchronised attack forced the girl to maneuver. Rose leapt over the partly raised blade before it could impale her, planting a hand on her opponent's shoulder. Just before her dagger dug into her throat however, something pierced her arm and she began to fall.

Turning her head, she found Margaret having ducked; the opening she saw was never there. The girl's blade carved a deep cut into her dominant hand. Rose's momentum carried her to the ground with that realisation, forcing her to waste a precious second rolling. The clang of steel on steel right behind spoke of Dezel saving her life. She turned to find Margaret focussing on him and rose to exploit her distraction, only for the earth to break around her. Shining ochre chains broke free and forced Rose to leap aside, only to jump right into a hard fist. Blood followed her ballistic course through the air.

Her head pounded and this time she hit the ground hard, impact forcing all air out of her lungs. Chains lashed out again, catching Rose's flailing legs. Then her arms. Blood ran into one of her eyes, but her vision remained clear enough to see the other assailant; a very tall, very angry man who came right at her immobilised form. Dezel disengaged Margaret and became intangible as he rushed back to her, settling within Rose in a clear demand. The divine artifact glowed as she channeled mana into it in response. "Lukeim Yurlin," she murmured through the haze of her pounding head; the pain was erased when they became one.

When the light died down however, they found that Margaret was not idle. Just like their hair gleamed green, hers was now ochre like the missing seraph. Two child-like seraphim flanked her, one confusing them for he was the boy they once saw following Velvet around, the other sending them into a near-incoherent rage. Symonne's expression was blank while Margaret's armatised form scowled.

They felt mana flow into the earth and leaped even before it ruptured into a sea of chains, but Margaret followed into their domain. A draconic roar sounded as the girl cocked her fist, only for them to send a dozen tiny daggers at her; they grinned momentarily, but then Margaret vanished to their senses. The winds screamed of danger behind, but that small fist crashed into their back even before they turned. "You're wide open!" the girl roared in two voices as she hammered them down, then exploded into flame and followed to grind them through the ravaged ground. "Burn!"

And they burned. The sheer force behind this punch broke their back, several more bones splintered from their ride through the dirt, and their skin became an angry red from the heat as it smoldered. Margaret ignored the daggers burying themselves in her arms and side, eyes full of fury. And then she was gone.

They lay there, blinking at the empty spot where their opponent just was. Their body ached and pounded, ruptured ligaments and organs burning within while remnants of flame burned outside. Another blink and they realised they were surrounded by faint, blue bubbles of mana; they all led back to the blond seraph boy, whose expression was downcast. It firmed up a moment later however. "Insubstantiality!" he called, and their world exploded violently.

When Rose came to, she lay in a crater. Her injuries were slightly less severe, but she could not move. Trying to bend her arm yielded nothing and when she forced her head to turn, Rose found only a bloody stump. Her mind was so hazy that she could not even understand what she saw.

Turning the slightest bit further, she found Dezel not far away in the same crater; the lower half of his body was missing, clothes torn. He still stirred, tried to rise, but a heavy boot crushed his head just then. A speckle of green blood tapped her nose, the dulled sensation making Rose go cross-eyed to see what hit her until movement drew her attention away. Margaret stood over her, the girl's outline blurry. She said something, but no sound reached Rose; she heard nothing at all, merely blinking back at her distraught opponent.

After a moment, Margaret raised the sword she was holding and for an instant, memories tugged at Rose's mind. A crimson night, a group of people arrayed against her, a flower, and Velvet Crowe, devouring her with a large, scarlet claw. Rose's eyes widened just as Margaret sliced off her head. The shock sent her unconcious at last, never to wake again.

 

[Naron]

"I hope they are alright," Sorey told his brother morosely. He could not help but worry and wonder just how it came to this; their group had splintered just like that. Mikleo frowned in response, however. A little less compassionate.

"I hope Edna is alright," he countered and Sorey hung his head. "She might have died if you hadn't stopped Dezel. I don't begrudge that she made a run for it." He was right, though Sorey still worried; he got along well enough with Rose despite her apparently being an assassin. Whoever this 'Brad' was, he must have meant a lot to her. Ever since her and Dezel left them, the two brothers were walking on their own; they probably fell days behind them by now, what with Mikleo having no means to let them walk with the winds.

The silence between them grew to a depressing length while Sorey mused, fully aware that he would cast himself into a hole if he kept stewing like this. Not only was Desolation in flux, the whole world may very well belong to a Lord of Calamity now. Zaveid's words kept echoing through his head, of being lesser than Artorius and not made to save the world; but then, who else was there?

"Seraph ahead!" Mikleo urgently broke into his contemplation. "And a hellion, too!"

"How far?" Sorey immediately focussed on the road ahead, but his brother pointed sideways to a small hill. His attention shifted accordingly and moments later, two familiar figures crested its tip. His heart skipped a beat as the morose thoughts were drowned out by joy for a moment. "Look, it's Edna! And Alisha!" It took him several seconds to remember the last time they met, but even then Sorey felt tentatively hopeful. He waved and Alisha returned the motion after but a moment of hesitation.

After that, he eagerly jogged over to meet them halfway. As they closed in, both could see the hellion's pensive expression; Mikleo quickly switched sides with Sorey, who accepted the temporary solution. While his brother greeted Edna, he turned to Alisha first... and only managed a lame "Hey".

"Ah, hello, Sorey." At least she was not better off, fidgeting lightly. Then however, the princess firmed up and motioned for Edna. "She reached us mostly unharmed, thanks to you I hear."

"Yeah," he murmured, finding Mikleo lead Edna aside in his peripheral vision. It was high time Sorey sorted this out and they both knew it, but getting started was just so hard. "Listen, Alisha, I... I'm sorry." A surprised blink was all the reaction his apology garnered and Sorey sighed. "For last time. I shouldn't have tried to force the matter, and I'm sorry."

Waiting for a response was nearly agonising, though Alisha at least appeared sympathetic; her expression softened considerably. "I understand," she ultimately told him, "and I forgive you, just like I hope you can forgive the words I spoke that day. I was far out of line." Hearing this lifted one of the many weights from his shoulders, letting Sorey breathe a little easier. He could not help but smile.

"It's okay. I already forgot what exactly you said. So, friends?"

"Yes, please." She fidgeted again even though her lips had also curled up, but then stepped forward to hug the surprised Sorey. "I'm glad," she murmured on his shoulder, and he hummed in agreement giving her a strong squeeze. Curiously, Alisha was soft, far more so than one would expect a hellion to be. Just like any other woman he ever embraced, which was mostly the seraphim back at home. Hardly different from Rose either, though thinking of the errant assassin reminded him of Velvet.

When they separated, Sorey's expression had hardened; Alisha picked up on it instantly. "Maotelus is dead," he began and her eyes widened. "We all felt it two weeks ago, his domain up and vanished. It- uh, yeah?" Alisha had raised a hand to interrupt him, slowly shaking her head.

"He is not dead, Sorey."

"...sorry, what?"

"He is not dead," Alisha repeated. "I was there, you see? He stood at the brink of total corruption for a while due to Heldalf's machinations. Velvet and Laphicet worked the last few years to save him, and they managed. But they had to tear off the corrupted parts, so to speak, so only a normal seraph remains."

Sorey gaped at the sheepish hellion, unable to form a coherent sentence. He slowly moved his hand without reason, wondering if perhaps Alisha was lying. But why would she? What was he to do next? If those two did save Maotelus. "B-But she's, Velvet is...." he tried to argue before trailing off. That argument would not work on Alisha, even he knew it.

"It's true," another voice chimed in then; turning slowly, he found Edna standing right next to them. Mikleo flanked her uncertainly, but the girl paid him no mind and rather held Sorey's gaze. "He was there when I arrived. The Empyrean Maotelus is no more, what remains is the seraph Laphicet he once was. Hail be Innominat up high," she then snarked, drawing a soft giggle from Alisha.

"Wait, wasn't Laphicet Innominat?"

"They have the same name, Mibu. Bit of a chore to talk about one of them by name, I know."

"And you're sure?" Sorey cut off the banter intently. He kneeled before Edna, daring her to look away. "Are you sure it is the same person?" But she did not, nodding without hesitation. Alisha did much the same while Sorey's thoughts raced; everything he brought himself to believe the past weeks, all the conclusions he drew. Perhaps they had been wrong after all? And if Zaveid was to be believed, he would die pitifully when attempting to fight Velvet Crowe. So perhaps it was time to test his and Edna's word. "I want to meet him."

Both women were surprised by the demand, but caught onto the need to confirm the matter for himself well enough. Alisha nodded, her smile growing a fraction. "Of course, although it may take a few days to arrange such a meeting. We needed to travel a while to reach you two, and Phi is busy at the moment. I believe?" She considered the sun's position with a slight tilt of her head. "They may be done by now, actually."

"They're definitely done by the time we reach," Edna quipped, receiving a nod.

Sorey raised his hand then, feeling a little silly. "Er, care to share?" Both turned back to him then, though Alisha's grimace did not bode well.

"The seraph Laphicet, or Phi, is now bonded with Margaret, who claimed the title of Shepherd," she began calmly. "With her is also the seraph Eizen, and as you recall, Symonne. None of them were at all happy when Edna appeared wounded. Symonne was furious. Eizen was murderous. I am sorry, Sorey. They moved to exterminate Rose and Dezel."

He did not like the buildup or the resolution; in the end however, Sorey exhaled slowly as he forced his mind to calm. Solely for Alisha's sake and their barely fixed friendship, he would not erupt. Sorey hated killing for any reason, but even if he hated it, he could see the logic behind it this time. Rose and Dezel were both out for blood, to the point they threw away him and Mikleo as well as the squire's pact without a second thought. Eizen was mad that his little sister got hurt. Symonne was mad that her beloved got hurt. He understood, even if he vehemently disagreed; moreover, there was little he could do about it. "I don't like this," Sorey ultimately answered, "there should not be any need to kill anyone."

"I concur," Alisha agreed gently, "but even if my heart bleeds, sometimes it must be done. If it is any consolation, I am hopeful that the Scattered Bones will be the only real casualty of this altercation. The Age of Chaos is over, Sorey. And in whatever new age now follows, there will be less bloodshed, less anger, less pain. This I can promise you." She spoke with such conviction that Sorey believed her anyway, despite his misgivings and doubts; he hung his head nonetheless because his heart did ache over the thought of Rose's death, but there was nothing he could do. His former squire was days ahead by now.

Heaving a sigh, he dropped to the ground. "To think Maotelus is gone. What about Innominat? He was the fifth before Maotelus, right? Wait, you know Velvet was Lord of Calamity, right?" Sorey stared up at Alisha, who nodded hesitantly.

"I was aware," she confirmed. "I heard little concrete details of the distant past, but neither Velvet nor Laphi attempted to hide their natures from me for long. They are good people regardless, Sorey. They made missteps, they were cruel, yes, but they still work to be better than that whenever they can." That they would not shy away from committing atrocities if needs must went unsaid; Sorey got it either way. Then however, Edna tapped the back of his head.

"The world aside, you shouldn't say Maotelus anymore, at least not around him. That's his true name."

Sorey's eyes widened slightly at the news, but he quickly nodded. "Got it, thanks for the warning." The ghost of a smile flashed over Edna's face in response. Mikleo agreed as well, though Alisha hummed thoughtfully.

"I was meaning to inquire but kept forgetting: people around me do bring up the matter of true names from time to time, and how secretive one is about them. How important are they exactly?"

"Wait, no one told you?" His question drew a headshake while Alisha settled in front of him, tail swaying behind her. "Could have sworn I mentioned it," he muttered before shrugging. "Ah well, true names are kind of a big deal for seraphim. Being allowed to use one is, uh, an expression of love. Yeah, as I said, pretty big," Sorey rambled upon seeing Alisha's surprise. "There's a bit of an exception for humans who act as vessels, we need to know someone's true name to carry them. So I know Edna's true name, but I wouldn't ever use it."

"You better not," the seraph girl groused without any heat.

"Don't worry, I won't. But thinking about it, does Symonne know?" By the way her eyes widened at the question and the luminous blush that followed moments later, Sorey figured the answer already and averted his gaze. "Sorry. I figured she and Laphicet didn't, but you seemed pretty close." To distract from his mortified friend, he then finished his explanation to an attentive Alisha: "But yeah, exchanging true names or allowing another to use yours means more than just trust or friendship. Mikleo is my brother and I'm allowed to use his true name, for one."

Once he fell silent, Alisha inclined her head. "I see, thank you for elucidating on the matter. Though, from the way you describe it, would the exchange of true names or at least permission to use another's true name be comparable to human marriage vows?"

Now it was for Sorey to tilt his head; he knew he read about the subject before, but could not remember it off the top of his head. Going by their puzzled expressions, neither could Mikleo and Edna. He shrugged. "We, er, might need an explanation for that one before I can say for sure." And with the alienated stare Alisha now favoured him with, this was supposed to be common knowledge. Sorey felt himself wilt under her gaze.

"...it sometimes surprises me just how little of humans you know," Alisha admitted, though her kind smile returned as she spoke. "But I would not mind explaining."

Sorey smiled back and relaxed, more so than he did in quite a while. He had his first human, or rather non-seraphic friend back. Sorey knew the road to regain Alisha's trust properly was long, but at least she was willing to give him the chance. For now they continued their conversation, finding that while those two things were not exactly the same, marriage vows did lie on a similar level as the exchange of true names. After that they went into human family units and other matters Sorey was somewhat aware of but never really considered, while comparing to seraphim. It was illuminating and curious, to the point he forgot about the impending meeting with a former Great Lord.

They only stopped at sunset to set up camp and Alisha cooked for them. It was a tranquil scene, made better by the fact she obviously knew what she was doing. The next day they headed out in companionable silence, Alisha in the lead; she soon left the road to follow other markers in the wilds. She moved faster than Sorey and frequently had to slow down conciously so he could follow. It was humbling to see himself outclassed so easily, even if just in speed.

Two days later the four of them reached an odd sort of golden arte circle hidden beneath a giant tree's roots. Margaret was already waiting for them, flanked by three seraphim; Symonne he already knew, Eizen was distinguishable from how many features he shared with his sister, and the last one he had seen on Titania. The seraph Laphicet watched him just as curiously, a pendant hanging from his neck; the bright white overcoat Sorey saw him in before was gone, replaced with a black suit of sorts.

"Hello, Sorey," Margaret greeted him, cordial as before. "It has been a while."

"Yeah, I guess it has." He could not help but feel awkward under Eizen's intense glare, but managed not to fidget. "I heard you're doing well for yourself."

At that, the blonde brightened. "I am indeed," she agreed, "as from now on, there will be two shepherds safeguarding Glenwood. That is, assuming you will not fight the Empyreans?" He shrugged in response, drawing a huff. "Fair enough. We shall see in time. For now, I would like you to meet my new companions. Alisha and Symonne you already know of course. Then we have Edna's brother, Eizen, and Laphicet the other, or Phi whenever Laphi is around."

They exchanged a few greetings, though Eizen kept glaring at him throughout, or at least until Symonne elbowed him. "He's her vessel, calm down. If you don't, I'm going to have to distract you." The glower he sent her then merely elicited an arched eyebrow. "And don't look at me like I wouldn't make out with her right in front of you."

Neither Alisha nor Margaret gave much of a response, though Sorey and his partners were all taken aback. Edna flushed while the men averted their gazes in embarassment. "Right," Edna quipped softly, "now I remember why I didn't miss you on my vacation."

"She says," Mikleo stage-whispered to Sorey, "conveniently forgetting how she spent every other day staring longingly out to sea." He dodged the umbrella poking for his side while Symonne cooed in delight and glomped her girlfriend. Eizen's scowl deepened, but ultimately receded at the sight of a happy Edna.

Sorey carefully nudged Alisha. "Are they always like this?" he inquired while motioning for the hellion's companions. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Huh." Then however, he remembered what he originally followed his friend for, and consequently what Margaret set out to accomplish; Sorey sought the other human's gaze, her smile vanishing upon seeing his forcefully blank expression. He needed to know. "You went after Rose?"

The atmosphere shifted in an instant, though no one interjected. Margaret met his gaze evenly. "Yes," she responded. "We waylaid her three days ago, and killed her." Sorey twitched, but held his tongue; Margaret noticed anyway. "I am aware you are no friend of violent death and please believe me, neither am I. Unfortunately, no one believed for even a moment that Rose would cease her attempts on Symonne's life, and neither would Dezel. She might even be successful one day, and so I rather put her down before she does the same to my friend. She fought valiantly, if that is any consolation."

It was not, though Sorey could follow her logic. He heaved a sigh regardless. "Now we'll never know, maybe she might have changed her mind." Sorey left it at that, clearly aware of the fact everyone disagreed with him. "Anyway, I was meaning to talk to Ma- er, Laphicet. If that's okay?"

The seraph boy perked up in response and nodded. "Sure. But how about we go back first?" He motioned for the arte circle, drawing Sorey's attention back to it. Within a minute, they stood in Lastonbell and he forgot several matters that were on his mind before; even his dour mood was gone as he continued asking questions about the lost arte he just witnessed. Phi deferred to Laphi however, seeing that Innominat brought it back into use.

At the sidelines, Mikleo was cradling his face in his hands. Alisha cracked Sorey's stubborness, and then they bagged him with ancient knowledge and lost artes. "You didn't even know, did you?" he asked of Phi and Symonne who remained nearby. Both shook their heads, though with matching grins. Mikleo allowed himself a sigh. "He will need a few days to come back to his senses, there are just too many wondrous things here to distract him." And even after that, his brother's opinion of the gods would continue to be more favourable. "At least he probably won't try to slam his head against the wall."

"You sound like you agree with us over him," Symonne coaxed curiously, to which Mikleo slowly shook his head.

"Not exactly, but you brought results where we didn't, so I'm reserving judgement. Or trying to, at least. Gramps did good work hammering that into me."

"He does that," Phi agreed with a huff.

"Actually, where did Margaret and Eizen go?"

"Left to take care of some business," Edna answered Mikleo from nearby; she closed the distance and claimed Symonne's hand, offering a careless shrug at her prime lord. "Didn't say what. Do you know?" Both of Margaret's partners exchanged glances before keeping their quiet; Edna rolled her eyes.

. .
. .​

Something was off, she could tell the moment they stepped through the portal. No ambush awaited them, but neither did anything else. The small chapel she knew the two lamia sisters maintained was deserted. Margaret frowned, trying to determine just what felt out of place; the hellions may very well be in another part of the base, after all. "Do you notice anything odd?" she asked her partner, who studied the room about as intently.

"Yes, but I can not put my finger on what it is," Eizen admitted after several seconds. His brows creased, head turning this way and that. "Then again, we only saw this place once, so we wouldn't notice even if they shifted a few things around."

He had a point, but this same point also brought the solution to Margaret. She strode over to a wooden bench and ran her finger over it, then examined the digit. "That's it," she told Eizen softly, "it's not that anything is out of place, per se. But there is a thin coating of dust everywhere." The earth seraph was by her side moments later to examine her find before squinting at the room as a whole.

"Aye," he agreed. "And more than that, I can't sense any hellions nearby. They left."

The pieces slowly began to form a picture which Margaret disliked severely. She stood and darted from the room, searching the underground structure for any signs of inhabitation; however, she found none. Van Aifread was gone, as were his bandits. All of them, not even the usual skeleton crew remained.

Half an hour after her frantic search began, Margaret returned to the chapel with a dark frown. "They left," she muttered, "but why? Even if they decided they don't want to stay here anymore, they would have sent a message to the Bloodwings first, or something like that. No blood or signs of struggle, so it was not that anyone else found them. So if they were neither forced out nor informed anyone, this must mean they left on their own but did not want us to know."

"There might have been no time to wait for a messenger, but that is unlikely," Eizen agreed with her reasoning. He paced around the room while pondering. "Knowing Aifread, he wouldn't have done that without... well, no. He very well might have done it for no reason, but it's more likely he had one. Such as a shepherd deciding there will be no more banditry." The two met each other's gazes, having arrived at the same conclusion; Eizen voiced it for the both of them: "They were warned."

"They were, most likely." Margaret quickly smoothed out her expression, though the momentary scowl did not escape his attention. "No matter," she continued, "I was meaning to give him a choice between turning down banditry and putting himself and his people to a more noble goal in the new age. If we hear news of bandit raids again, we will have our answer. And I will have to hunt him down in the future. What about you?"

Eizen himself heaved a heavy sigh, followed by shrugging. "Aifread made his choice, and I made mine. I'm not going to hesitate, and neither will he. Whatever happens, both of us will accept the outcome."

"Thank you," Margaret returned with genuine joy; she had never known for certain whether Eizen would stand with her in such a conflict, though they had grown closer over the past months. Then however, her smile turned more impish. "Unfortunately, there is only one valid outcome to this situation. The real question is how long it will take until we corner them."

"Heh. Aye."

 

[Naron]

"Gramps? What are you doing here?"

The ancient seraph took Sorey's surprise in stride; he huffed as if disinterested, though his erstwhile ward could see the miniscule upturn of his lips behind the well-groomed beard. "I was waiting for you," he admitted freely. "Elysia has been devastated when the three Empyreans clashed. Everyone left before that happened," he assured Sorey without missing a beat, the sudden surge of worry subsiding before it could even be expressed. "Although it is sad to lose what possessions we had there."

"Yeah." Instead of worry, a sense of loss now settled in Sorey; Mikleo hung his head as the same feeling assaulted him, too. "Where is everyone else, then?"

Zenrus merely shrugged. "Who knows? They stayed with me because they so wished, now many have taken the changing times as an opportunity to move on and travel, or seek another place to belong. But I believe this is not what we should discuss right now, hm?" he coaxed the boy gently. Sorey's expression fell, though he did not speak immediately; Zenrus gave him the time to order his thoughts.

"You're right," he began after a while. "So Velvet and Laphicet... and the other Laphicet, I guess. What do we do about them?" He felt more lost than ever before, to the point he missed Zenrus' arched eyebrow at first. Once Sorey became aware of that, he scrambled to elaborate: "I mean, it's just... can we just let them do what they want? We've seen a bunch of things on that expedition and they're both not good people."

"Ah, yes, young Edna explained that matter already," Zenrus mused. He tapped his pipe against the table they sat around, brow creased in a thoughtful frown. "Though we can not be certain that it was Empyrean Maotelus who revealed to you bits of his past, I am inclined to believe this is the best we will get." Sorey nodded slowly, soaking up the new information; he even marvelled at it for a moment, but ultimately pushed back his wonder in favour of seriousness. Zenrus appeared to think the same. "Unfortunately, the first question you should ask yourself is 'what can I do', not 'what should I do'. You are not just dealing with two Empyreans and a former one, but several of the finest hellions and seraphim alive."

"It's still not right," Sorey muttered at once, though any back-and-forth was cut off by Mikleo.

"You make it sound like you agree with them," his brother interrupted, which stumped Sorey for a moment. Zenrus inclined his head, however. "Why is that?" Mikleo inquired immediately, which drew a soft chuckle.

"You have become more attentive still, my boy," the old man praised, expression softening. "Sorey. Mikleo." Both men sat at attention immediately, recognising the severity in Zenrus' tone. "I have lived over fifty thousand years, children. Of the malakhim, those of us who descended from the heavenly realms so long ago, only six yet remain. Myself, the guardian Zui Fuu, and the elemental Empyreans." He left a pause there to meet their gazes evenly, both of his adopted grandsons listening with rapt attention. "I witnessed the rise of Innominat, a malak born here on Desolation. I witnessed Malevolence and dragonhood ravaging our kind and mankind alike. Through it all, I learned many a lesson. The most important of them is to trust those close to me. Fifty thousand years, boys. More civilisations have crumbled before my eyes than either of you numbers in years. Yet mankind remains, and us malakhim remain, because when in need, us six would work together regardless our own feelings on the matter.

"Today, I know that Empyreans Minkkubi and Innominat arrive with the blessing of not just Zui, but all four of the elements. Hyanoa, Eumacia, Musiphe, and Amenoch all welcome them as kin, just like they welcomed Maotelus a thousand years ago. As of right now, I know that they know better; while I stayed on my mountain looking after you two, they saw the danger and acted on it. So regardless of any misgivings I might have, I trust they know what they are doing. And I ask you to trust my judgement in this matter."

They sat in silence for a long time after that. Sorey knew Zenrus was old of course, but he never realised just how ancient a caretaker he had. He understood what the old seraph asked of him and he desperately wanted to trust, but at the same time inaction felt like the worst course of action. "So that's it?" he finally muttered, "just do nothing and let it happen? I just...." he made an uncertain motion before letting his hand drop. Zenrus hummed in thought.

"Well, I never said we'd do nothing, now did I?" He chuckled again at the flabbergasted looks this earned him, dispelling the severe air and his ancient disposition. "I ask again, Sorey: assuming you trust me and won't run to fight a threat that is none, what can you do? And consequently, what should you do?"

Sorey had no response this time. His mind was blank. Mikleo fared little better, he noticed with a glance to his side; they always expected to one day fight the Lord of Calamity, who turned out to have died already. Zenrus himself assured them Velvet and Laphicet were no threats, so the entire foundation of their expectations crumbled away. Unable to find anything worthwhile to offer, he hung his head.

"I don't know."

The words bypassed the lump in his throat and were soon echoed by his brother; when Sorey dared look up however, he was not met with disappointment. Rather, Zenrus smiled ever so softly. "And that is alright," he soothed them. "You can not always have an answer, or know a way out. The beings who can and do are few. Take your time to come to terms with all these changes. Survey the realm, eat hearty meals, and consider your options. The important part to remember is that the time of action is over; there is no immediate threat to face anymore, only the road to improvement. Take your time and work out a plan, then make it a reality."

Sorey took these words to heart and began to ponder that same day. Over the next weeks however, he remained at the Crowe's Nest to speak with the Crowes and Alisha on Mikleo's suggestion. The more he saw and learned, the less he felt an actual need for drastic action. Sorey remained convinced there was a better way, but the calm did his frayed nerves well.

The pivotal point of Sorey's stance, however, was the sermon. Velvet invited him to partake about a month after his arrival in Lastonbell, and so he followed her and several others to Pendrago; the shrinechurch's vast courtyard was filled to the brim even when they arrived an hour early. All around, Sorey heard expectant muttering, comments about some kind of announcement; among those present was a detachment of knights guarding an elderly man in elaborate, dark robes. The crown on his well-groomed head made quite clear just who was in attendance.

"What's going to happen?" he asked the former Calamity, who only threw him a mysterious smile. Edna appeared as lost as Sorey and Mikleo, so she was not in on it either. Thinking of that however, he realised that several faces were absent. "Actually, where are Margaret and Alisha?" Or their seraphic companions, for that matter.

This time Velvet answered: "They are busy in Hyland today. Something similar to this." Unfortunately, her response left much to be desired; Sorey swallowed his burning curiousity however, well aware he would find out soon enough. Not that it stopped making every minute feel like an eternity, to the point he sighed in relief when the choir began to sing. Cardinal Forton arrived in a flurry of pristine white robes, her sharp gaze trailing over the people gathered as she descended wide stone stairs.

Then however, she cleared the stairs leading up on stage in a single leap. Her robe's hem fluttered, but the cardinal paid that no mind as she faced the flabbergasted faitfhul. The choir fell silent, though Sorey did not know whether out of shock or on cue; gentle, golden light began to glimmer behind Runette Forton, who bowed toward the people.

"Today is a day of celebration!" she announced, every sharp line in her regal expression softening. "For this is the dawn of a new age. A better age!"

She paused there to wait out the murmuring her claim incited, though the buzzing noise would not quite subside on its own. A flash of golden light, however, did. Runette held a gentle smile as she continued: "I understand the excitement, but there are several matters which need to be revealed today, before we can truly enter this new age. His Majesty, Emperor Doran is present today by my own invitation." A sweeping motion indicated the man himself, who nodded regally and received bows from those standing closest. "As today, we are all but men before those greater than us. Let me speak to you of that which our eyes have never seen yet which exists in the world."

What followed was a concise explanation of resonance and Malevolence that had Sorey with wide eyes; the truth was never revealed to the public like this before, he knew that for a fact. A glance to Velvet told him the goddess of darkness approved; chances are she had come up with the plan to begin with. The audience hung on Runette's every word.

"Now," she ended her explanations after discussing the origin of hellions, "do not condemn your fellows for having fallen. We are all but human and our hearts are fickle things indeed. While the darkness overwhelms many, some may just persevere. And in his kindness, the Great Lord Maotelus brought his silver flame of purification to those who can not. Among us is also Shepherd Sorey, who has tirelessly worked to cleanse many of our countrymen."

Sorey stiffened upon being called out, but beside some speculative glances and excited whispers from those who he helped before, attention thankfully remained on Runette. Her smile had grown a fraction. "And to put proof to my words, the Great Lord Innominat has graced us with his presence today." The light flared once again, longer this time as a domain spread over everyone. Runette spread her arms. "Fear not His magnificence, for He is benign!"

Sorey saw it first, the giant, golden arte circle floating behind Runette. It was held in a square and revolved around itself before becoming static, turning into a pitch black void from which a gargantuan head slid forward. Awestruck gasps rang from the people who saw him too, and Sorey could not help but stare at the impossibility before him. "W-What, how?" he whispered, unable to raise his voice in the presence of a god.

Innominat's golden scales glistened in the afternoon sun, his head slowly moving as he beheld Pendrago as a whole; had he lowered it, he could have covered most of the square. Warm breaths came like gales, making loose clothes and hair flutter.

When he spoke, it was with calm certainty and a light tone, not the droning bass one would expect of such a magnificent dragon: "Today is indeed a day of change," he began, his words reverberating over the entire city. "By my blessing, all of Desolation shall receive a resonance powerful enough to see the world for what it is. But in time, in time. As I speak, Maotelus will address the kingdom of Hyland in a similar manner, and I hereby declare that the Empire's feud with their neighbour is over. The wars you have fought, the lives that were lost, the hearts that were broken, all they accomplished was to breed Malevolence. This is not acceptable."

Another breath washed over the captivated audience on the last word. Innominat angled his head so as to peer down at Runette. "My and my sister's prophet has already implored you not to fear the darkness on its own, and I shall do the same. Runette?" The unspoken command was heeded and right before their eyes, the cardinal lost her human form; legs merged into a singular tail, dark green scales grew out of her skin until she was covered all over. Even Sorey stood dumbstruck by the revelation while Innominat gave a miniscule nod. "Runette Forton has tirelessly worked for the betterment of Rolance and Glenwood, before and after she turned. Not even the silver flame will cleanse her, for she is content in this state."

He never knew. The woman he spent days discussing ancient history with was a hellion all along, yet Sorey never even suspected. He believed more and more that leaving Alisha a hellion had been the right choice, but today he finally put the question aside for good. It was evident not everyone needed to be purified.

"My domain will fade soon," Innominat continued after the pause he left for everyone to behold the cardinal on stage. "The changes we bring are manifold, so we will not expect you to just accept them and adjust in a day. Within ten years however, it will be erected to stand eternal, and henceforward humans, hellions, and seraphim shall live together in harmony, or so is the ideal we strive for. It will require for us to transcend the possible however." He lowered his head somewhat, this time eyeing the aged ruler. "To ascertain our success, I request the Empire's assistance."

Emperor Doran held his silence for but a moment; despite the vast amount of people present, one could have heard a pin drop. Then however, he inclined his head. "And you shall have it, oh Empyrean. But if We may inquire about a matter of curiousity?"

"You may."

"Far out to Lastonbell, there is a certain tavern that advertised with the sight of seraphim for a short while now. Would this have been your doing as well, oh Empyrean?" Sorey blinked as the murmuring started back up; the crowd fell silent again when the dragon huffed.

"Yes, indeed," Innominat responded with a note of humour. "It was a first step toward change, and it shall remain so for the foreseeable future." His head rose afterward, receding from Pendrago. "Step by step, we shall move toward a better future. Today is merely the beginning, and it requires all of you to make the difference. Rejoice, people of Rolance, for I declare a new beginning. Henceforward, the Age of Chaos is over, and the Age of Harmony shall begin!"

His domain faded just as the dragon pulled his head back through the portal, leaving an awestruck populace that soon devolved into a thousand excited conversations. Sorey had trouble picking his jaw up from the floor, even when he heard Velvet's quiet chuckle. "A knack for dramatics seems to run in the family," she quipped while watching Runette revert to human form. "Hopefully things go just as well on Alisha's end."

"W-Wait, but Maotelus is-" "Don't worry."

Velvet grinned at Sorey, tapping a finger to her lips to signify silence. He sighed in response, but ultimately let it go. Whatever was going on in Hyland, Alisha should have a handle on it.

. .
. .​

Around the time Sorey arrived in Pendrago, the sovereign of Hyland beheld what his half-sister had wrought.

He was informed of her arrival the moment she passed the gate, as of the fact the populace greeted her with overwhelming cheer. Moreover, Hyaci Maltran herself followed the wayward princess; even the knights hesitated to arrest her as they should have. Alisha Diphda passed toward the royal castle unmolested, then requested an audience at court. Intrigued, he received her immediately, only to be confronted with what sounded like madness. Madness that, to everyone's surprise, Alisha backed up. She received three blades to the throat on her own request without so much as a scratch, then spewed a plume of flame into the room.

Seraphim, resonance, Malevolence, hellions, a new age. Alisha spoke at length of all these matters; her companion, the self-proclaimed Shepherd Margaret then bid one of her bonded seraphim to grant them sight. And for the first time, the king beheld one of the spiritual beings. They were an odd group indeed, a child and a towering man; moreover, everyone at court could see Princess Alisha's tail now.

"This is certainly more excitement than I expected today," he mused wrily. "Regardless, a question: what if We were to refuse your 'new age'?"

The quiet conversations fell away in an instant; no one missed the question's nuance, least of all Alisha herself. His half-sister's severe expression was broken up by an undignified sigh. "I believe we both know the answer, your Majesty."

Her response carried with it quite a few implications as well. He could not help but arch an eyebrow. "You do not desire the throne?" The subtle change in her posture told him otherwise, but she made no motion to act on such desires.

"Truth be told, I spent much time pondering how to approach this matter. As a hellion, I stand eternal and will thus abstain from the crown for the time being. Should I find that the royal line strays from a path of goodness and law however, my disposition may yet change."

He nodded in response. The message had been received loud and clear. Then again, perhaps this new doctrine was preferable; as much as his majesty trusted his advisers, he knew well Alisha's reputation as an upright and honourable warrior. Regardless of her lacking favour in court, she now made that up through force of arms and a force of will honed by years of struggle. He could not help but favour her with a smile. "You have certainly risen beyond all expectations, dear sister. Very well, it shall be as you desire."

The princess bowed her head in acquiescence, to renewed whispering from those surrounding them. The political climate of Hyland had just shifted considerably and they all knew; in the following address to the populace however, Alisha and Margaret quelled most opposition when a beautiful silver dragon made his appearance. Maotelus himself spoke to the people, requesting the crown's assistance in a bid he would never know was a nearly verbatim mirror of the golden dragon who appeared above Pendrago that same day. Neither would anyone ever realise that the dragon was an illusion, strainingly provided by the lady seraph he would not meet for another decade.

And so, almost anticlimactically, the Age of Harmony began. Of course not all strife would vanish overnight, however.

 

[Naron]

Five years. That was how long it took to finally back van Aifread into a corner. Shepherd Margaret had hunted him across half of Glenwood, clashing many times with the elusive bandit king on her travels. Yet even as the noose drew tighter, he and his inner circle kept evading her, or escaped outright when confronted. Though at first this inspired respect for their resourcefulness and cunning, Margaret grew more and more exasperated as the years passed.

Now however, Aifread settled in a small cave with his most trusted. All the rest had fallen or been captured over time, with recruitment falling away as standards of living kept improving; in an age where no one would be denied basic necessities, banditry became far less enticing. He was well aware of that, which made him appreciate the men and women surrounding him ever more; they all remained loyal, even though clemency had been offered if they surrendered.

"Where to next?" Alvin inquired after thoroughly gnawing even the last scraps of meet off the bone he held. He threw it aside and onto a slowly growing pile while Aifread pondered the question; they all lost weight, being harried by an insistent shepherd. Enid frowned at him, but refrained from commenting.

"We're close to the Chasm," Aifread mused in response. "Heard that's quite a sight, so how about a trip through the mountains? You think our gear can survive that, Ludger?"

The quiet man nodded after a moment of introspection, though another voice interrupted their sparse meal. "That can be arranged." Steel glinted as Shepherd Margaret materialised out of nowhere, her blade a mere inch from the bandit king's throat; no one even batted an eye at her sudden arrival, the man merely sighed while everyone else got up.

"Do you have to sneak up on us like that? Shouldn't the noble shepherd be beyond eavesdropping?"

"Considering that you run at the first sign of us? Yes, I have to sneak up on you. Except this time," a violent tremor went through the cave, "there is no escape. I had it with you."

"Right back at you, kid." Uncaring for the weapon threatening him, Aifread rose and turned around to face Margaret with a grave expression. "We had this song and dance before, can't even count how often. Why do you still not cut me down the moment you can? I've made my choice, and you made yours. So let's-" He slapped the blade aside mid-sentence, throwing a fist right at Margaret's face. Ever alert, she leaned out of the jab and returned a kick of her own; her foot was caught, only for Margaret to stab at Aifread and thus force him to let go or risk impalement.

Those around them made to interfere, but a blur of white and silver passed between them; within moments, all but the two lamias were plastered to the cave walls by reinforced strips of paper. The seraph Laphicet took position to guard Margaret's back, facing Enid and Rodeen evenly. "This really doesn't have to end like this," he pleaded once again like he had before. No one acknowledged the point and he sighed.

In turn however, Margaret lowered her blade before sheathing it. "This ends today," she declared. "One way or another. But if you insist on being stubborn, I will try talking in words you understand." Aifread peered at the lithe woman as she pulled her fingerless gloves taut, then formed fists and took a stance. Margaret could not help but grin mirthlessly. "How did it go? 'Men speak with their fists'?"

The reborn pirate barked out a laugh and readied himself in turn. "Perhaps I misjudged you after all," he allowed gleefully. "Let's see how earnest you are about this."

"Life is always earnest, just as it is unfair," Margaret retorted, and promptly armatised with Eizen. Their union gave Aifread no chance to respond as they layed into him with a devastating haymaker that he barely ducked under; the jab against their throat was deflected and a sweeping kick caught Aifread in the chest. He was thrown back but landed on his feet, bracing himself while pushing the pain out of his mind. That one moment almost sealed his fate as they followed up with a flying knee, which he sidestepped. They were caught in mid-air and promptly slammed into the ground, propelled by their own momentum to the point stone shattered.

They rolled out of the stomp that followed, rising in one smooth motion and closing in to strike once more. Aifread blocked this time, but felt his arm break under the force he underestimated. Where other men might have retreated on instinct however, he pushed forward and hammered his remaining fist into a surprised face. His opponent made a single step back, disoriented just long enough for Aifread to swing again; they ducked beneath it this time however, then returned the favour and broke his nose.

Rearing back as his head pounded in offense to the beating, he could not help but grin toothily. Instead of surrendering, he rushed forward again despite the clear difference in power. The response was a kick into his stomach, making van Aifread deflate and bend over his opponent's firm leg before he rolled over the floor, heaving.

He came to rest panting, trying to get air back into his lungs as pain burned through his body anew. "Hah, not, hah, half bad," Aifread commented weakly. Even when Eizen was involved in this, he could tell that this girl threw her punches in an earnest desire not to kill. No cheap shots, no holding back, no lethal aim. Except for his cracked skull, maybe.

Margaret separated from her bonded seraph and strode up to him, not a single strand of hair displaced. She crouched before her defeated opponent, frowning. "Symonne," she called, and a seraph girl appeared next to them to treat his injuries without comment. Margaret arched an eyebrow at the downed man. "I have an offer for you," she began with a wry grin, "and this time you can't run away. The Bandit King van Aifread is no more as of today. He and all under his banner, we are willing to pardon in exchange for your expertise. Rolance and Hyland are building a joint navy and seek good, competent men to explore the seas that have lain mostly uncharted for centuries."

His eyes widened ever so slightly in response; the sea, that was something he had desired more than most things of his old life. She offered him a chance to return to sea, though not as a pirate; piracy would only become viable when there were places that supplies must go per ship. Yet despite how tempting it was, he snorted up at the shepherd. "Not much of a choice you're giving me here."

Symonne rolled her eyes while Margaret tapped a finger on her sheathed blade's handle. "I offer you the choice between cooperation and death. So if you prefer to die unsung, as a bandit in a cave in the middle of nowhere, feel free to say so."

She certainly did not expect him to chuckle, then transition into bellowing laughter. His head pounded in response, but he could not care less. "Oh, you have fire!" he praised after a while, "I'm in!"

His agreement had a smile blossom on Margaret face. Her companions dropped their ready stances, much like Aifread's did; the regular humans were released from their bindings, falling in line with their leader without complaint. Both Forton sisters did much the same, though there was more grumbling involved. And so ended the tale of the bandit king, though he would be long remembered for having kept the Lady Shepherd Margaret on her toes for five full years.

 

[Naron]

In the end, there was no force in the world that could prevent the will of an Empyrean to be made manifest. Or rather, the Empyreans that could, as well as the handful of others who might hold such might, were firmly in agreement with the proceedings. To the people of Glenwood however, the transition was smooth.

Innominat's domain was established in bursts ever since his public address, receding again and again but slowly remaining longer. First it was but a day per month that people suddenly met neighbours they never knew, formed attachments to the seraphim they now met all over the continent. The single day slowly bloated into two, then three, then a week. Originally an event to expect with joy, the passing of years turned it into routine. Few noticed immediately when the Empyrean's embrace became permanent.

"And it only took us ten years to get there," Alisha mused out loud while favouring Sorey with a fond smile. The decade transformed him into a handsome and competent man, though his sunny disposition remained undeterred. The therion herself remained as young as she was the day she turned; her tail gave some people pause, but no one stopped them as they entered Lastonbell. All knew of Alisha Diphda, guardian of the unified realms. Just like all knew of the two shepherds.

Sorey sighed in response. "Ten years is a long time," he returned, settling on a bench to watch the goings-on. Humans and seraphim intermingled, as they had taken to more and more over the last decade. Housewives chattered at each other in small clusters, knights patrolled the streets in pairs, barkers called out to the crowds nearby... and several women gave him considering looks, but refrained from approaching him for once. Probably due to Alisha's presence next to him. Which reminded him of a matter he had to bring up now. "I wanted to apologise."

"Whatever for?"

"For being a jerk." They both knew he apologised plenty over the years, but Alisha since gave up trying to tell him not to. Sorey huffed. "And for being ungrateful. I've, well, I've tried to think of a solution that doesn't need Innominat or Minkkubi. It never sat quite right with me to build something better on death. Thanks, Mikleo." His brother did not respond, having shielded their conversation with the perhaps most useful wind arte, which he practiced for exactly that purpose. Alisha echoed Sorey's thanks a moment later while he pondered. "Anyway, yeah. I thought and tried, but in the end, I had nothing that would have worked. And seeing this, all this?" He motioned for Lastonbell around them, but also the continent as a whole. "It's basically everything I wanted."

Alisha understood him well enough, his admission as well as the parts he stumbled over. "Yet it is oh so easy to forget we built today's harmony on yesterday's suffering. I get your point quite well, it remains a matter of distress at times. Then again, reminding myself of how smoothly the transition went if you have enough time is nearly enough to give me whiplash."

"Yeah, me too."

They shared a laugh over the joke, settling into a more comfortable atmosphere. Then however, Alisha's grin became more mischievous. "Now, if you are done apologising needlessly, I would rather not speak of such on the rare occasion we do get to meet. Your luck with the fairer sex seems to be good."

Her gentle jab clearly embarassed Sorey, who dragged his feet at the reminder. "I don't know why exactly," he admitted a moment later. "It's not like I'm trying to get anyone's attention, you know?"

"Fame and power," Alisha countered at once, offering a gentle smile to him. It was reassuring to know some of his youthful innocence had survived to this day. "You have both, not to mention a fit sort of attractiveness that can easily draw attention. A shame that none of these ladies are to your liking. I hear Margaret found herself a partner of sorts just last year."

"Heh. If you see her, give her my regards and let her know I'm happy for her. Same for you, Edna." The only acknowledgement he got from within was a huff, which did little to distract Sorey from the other subject. He deflated somewhat. "Anyway, it's just difficult. I know many of these women would be after power or wealth, so approaching anyone isn't easy. You got the same problem, don't you?"

"Assuming I have romantic prospects for the future," Alisha retorted lightly. "My duty to Hyland keeps me quite busy." Though high standing and beauty left her with a number of willing partners, should she feel the need to destress. Much the same as for Sorey, though neither of them brought that up. "As it is, no one has caught my eye."

"Really? Wow. I always thought you'd have it easier than me."

"Quite," Alisha agreed with a chuckle, though she soon turned thoughtful. "Although there is one, I guess. A good friend, though I doubt he would be interested in me that way."

"Did you, uh, try talking to him about it?"

Sorey's question was mostly an attempt to help his friend; going by the soft shake of her head however, she might have more trouble than he expected. Before he could scramble for advice or offering to listen to her woes however, another voice stopped him: "What an idiot," Edna deadpanned before materialising by their side. "Take the hint already, nerd. Come on Mibu, we're going shopping."

Strangely enough, now Alisha was the one embarassed while his bonded seraphim trooped off. Mikleo threw him a wink that gave Sorey pause for one long moment before it all clicked together; once it did, he became just as sheepish as the beautiful woman next to him. "Oh, errr...."

"Think nothing of it," Alisha murmured a moment later, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. "It is... no." She took a deep breath and firmed up, turning her head to meet his gaze. "No. It is true you have had a special place in my heart for a long time. However, I am well aware you would be bothered returning a hellion's affections, regardless of who."

Sorey almost nodded with how dumbfounded he was by this revelation. Alisha may have had a point once upon a time, but ten years were a long time for a human. Still, the revelation left him wondering. "For me?" he could not help but ask. "Really? Even after, you know, that day we met again after you turned?" The day he waltzed over her feelings like a rampaging elephant, he meant; Alisha understood at once, if her grimace was any indication.

"I fell in love with you long before that point," she admitted softly. "Perhaps even on the day we first met. You were my first ever friend, my first true friend. And your kindness was endearing, as was that stubborn streak whenever your morals were concerned. Then, yes, I fell and began to fret. You did little to assuage my fears that day, but it has been ten years. Time heals many wounds, and this one may not be gone, but I have moved past it. Admittedly, my feelings have changed as well, though I am still more fond of you than of most."

She was staring at him with this same intensity as earlier, leaving Sorey's throat dry. He found himself lacking the words to respond, wondering just what answer he could give. Then again, what answer did he want to give?

Seeing the soft shaking of Alisha's hand, the first thing he did was to cover it with his own; the therion fell still in surprise, at which he smiled at her. "You're right, it has been ten years. I'm not so rigid on hellions anymore, you know? This is just kind of sudden, is all. But I think I get what you mean, you were my first human friend too, and perhaps the first actual friend I made. Not sure how much the seraphim who helped raise me count, they're more like family, aren't they?" He was rambling, but could not stop himself; Alisha nodded along dutifully however. Then she leaned closer. "Um, Alisha?"

His gaze flittered to the crowds surrounding them; though there was still an arte protecting their conversation, nothing would hide phyiscal gestures from the many eyes watching them. Alisha paused to huff at him. "I am Hyland's kingmaker, Sorey. The most powerful woman on the continent, if not in the world, with exception of the gods. And unless you tell me not to, I will kiss you here and now."

She gave him a full five seconds during which all Sorey managed was to pull his jaw off the ground. When he gave no sign of rejection, she leaned forward again to capture his lips. Suddenly, he cared much less for what others may think; his focus was stolen further and further by the forceful therion, though he found himself not minding her forthrightness.

 

[Naron]

As the fanfare fell silent, an expectant silence took hold of the crowd. For the first time in history, a king would be crowned before the public instead of presenting himself after the fact. Hyland's nobility stood by in part grudgingly, being granted prime positions along the road yet forced to mingle with the common folk.

It was a different ceremony indeed from what the elderly recalled, for the prince did not walk alone; flanking him were two fixtures of the realm, the kingmaker and her confidante. Alisha Diphda was rarely referred to as princess anymore, her eternal youth driving home the differences between human and hellion. By her side walked Hyaci Maltran, named Hellion's Harbinger and in charge of keeping up good relations between the people of Hyland. No knights beside them were present, a clear message to any would-be assassins: where they stood guard, none would succeed.

The procession went through Ladylake's main street as men, women, and children watched on reverently; the future sovereign met their gazes where he could, offering gentle smiles. He had grown up in peace and tranquility, even though illness took his father far too soon.

The stage erected in Ladylake's main plaza stood pristine, untouched by the crowd except for two small groups. One man and one woman finished off the line of onlookers, their vibrant hair since turned grey by a life of exertion and combat, if less of the latter over time. Fourty years had left their marks on Shepherd Margaret and Sorey both, but neither would care for the lasting peace they brought; their bonded seraphim stood with them, as did their children. A boy and a girl flanked Margaret while Sorey was surrounded by an entire throng of fair, blonde women, all eerily reminiscent of their mother. Alisha favoured them with a faint smile as the procession passed by.

A faint buzz of whispered conversations had accompanied the yet-prince, but petered out entirely once he climbed the wooden stairs. Alisha and Hyaci followed two steps behind, but it was the princess who bade her nephew to kneel. And he did, only to be bathed in golden light from above. Alisha nodded to herself and began: "Thou hast sworn kindness and justice upon the peoples of Hyland, human, hellion, and seraph all. Will thou uphold thine oaths now, when the realm seeks its sovereign?"

"We shall, to the best of Our ability," his highness replied easily, eyes closed.

"And will thou stand in fair judgement of all matters brought before thy gaze?"

"We will, so We swear by Our very soul."

The crown had rested on a pedestal right by their side; as the final response was given, Alisha carefully lifted the band of red and gold from its pillow. "Then by the grace of the Great Lords, open thine eyes and behold thy people, Your Majesty." The crown was settled on his head and he rose, having kneeled for the last time in his life. Bright eyes beheld the silent yet awed crowd.

Moments passed, then the slow clapping of hands broke the silence; both shepherds offered their congratulations, their example opening the floodgates as roaring cheer erupted. What hellions were present howled, seraphim and their partners cast fireworks, feet were stomped everywhere.

Hyland would enter a new era, that everyone knew. Yet few realised that with this monumental change, many smaller ones would follow. The old guard, those who grew up never knowing hellions and fearful of them, were on the decline. Another generation or two and few if any would remain. Change continued to affect all, bringing with it prosperity.

 

[Naron]

It was still odd to be the assertive party, Edna felt. They all experimented a little with how forward they liked to be over the years, but right now neither Symonne nor Laphicet were in any condition to be demanding. She held them both close to her chest, one hand each carding through their black and golden hair respectively. The tears had dried, but they would take a long time to recover.

Then again, so would she; Edna's heart ached ever since the day her bond with Sorey just faded away. Before she knew it, her friend had breathed his last at seventy years old. Margaret followed him just the previous day, a few months later. Lives spent in the pursuit of a dream took their toll on both of them, and now it was time to say goodbye; Edna wondered if she ever wanted to be close to humans again if this was how much it hurt.

Laphi stirred, having taken less of a hit than Symonne who was Margaret's dearest friend. His eyes slid open to reveal exhaustion, but he favoured Edna with a fond smile nonetheless. Then he cuddled closer to the both of them, a quiet comfort the girl seraphim appreciated.

"I'm starting to get what Zenrus meant back then," Symonne muttered. "I never thought it'd hurt that much. When someone gets killed, sure, but it's, she, she got to live a full life and passed away in her sleep. Two beautiful children and a half-dozen grandchildren, her dream come true. Why, then?"

"It always hurts," Edna informed her gently, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's crown. "As long as you have a heart that loves, it will hurt."

"Indeed," Laphi agreed in a soft tone. "Life without pain is not worth living, or so an irreverent witch apparently said long ago." Both girls knew who he meant, just like he and Edna knew that Symonne still missed old Nica, or Magilou; the reminder found her head leaning against Edna's chest again.

"She once told me that I'm right here, right now because of every choice I made. I still don't understand how she can be so content when things could have been better."

"They could have been worse as well," Laphi countered. Then he nudged Symonne. "Besides, Margaret will be back." Both girls perked up in surprise, only to be given a mischievous smile. "You may have forgotten over the years, but within her rested a powerful soul and great compassion. The pattern seems to hold, so give her a thousand years to reincarnate. I'm sure she will remember us all when the time comes." For while she built on the legacy of Artorius, the 'Lady Shepherd' carved her own legend into history just fine. Just like Sorey had, now remembered as the 'Lord Shepherd'.

Despite the dour mood, Edna found herself intrigued by her boyfriend's certainty. "How so?" she inquired after a moment's hesitation. He became thoughtful in response.

"Do not mention this elsewhere, but I think we found Eleanor. The Eleanor." Both girls blinked at Laphi, who shrugged. "We don't know for sure yet and she doesn't display any awakened memories, but you remember how Alisha's youngest has an uncanny talent with the spear? She grasps the style about as easy as breathing, the same way Margaret learned Arthur's style in record time."

"...she's six," Edna deadpanned. Laphi snorted.

"Your point? Alisha was distraught about it because her girl is too young, but she seemed happy to practice the motions. No six-year-old should be that precise yet. Which is why I asked you not to say anything. The timing fits, though; Eleanor Hume died a good fifty years after Artorius and Aifread, both of the latter came back after roughly a thousand years, and now... well, you get my point." They did, even if it still sounded ridiculous.

Symonne changed the subject then, barking out a soft laugh. "Can we talk about how those two were breeding like rabbits for a moment? Alisha sure abused being forever fertile, but a dozen children?"

"I'm more amazed they all look like her," Edna quipped back. "Twelve girls, all blonde and svelte." They all chuckled over that, fully aware how hard-pressed the aging Sorey had been running herd on his ever-growing clan. The fact they all resembled his wife so much probably did not help. "Do you think that was the Malevolence making her traits breed true?"

"Possible," Laphi reasoned. "Some of the doctors looked into it during her later pregnancies, but no one could make any conclusions. That aside, how are they doing?"

The question went to Edna, who shrugged. "They're dealing, and they have each other. I'd rather be here with you two for now." Her life as godmother to the entire Diphda clan was certainly not an easy one; Symonne grimaced however, clearly aware she ought to be with her own godson and goddaughter. Edna kissed her possessively. "And neither of you is leaving, whether you want to or not."

Her demand did not disperse the dour mood entirely, but it helped. They made themselves more comfortable on the recliner they settled on, looking out at sea; the great temple built above what was once Aball was a remarkable structure, though just as reclusive more often than not. Edna enjoyed the hands clasping around her own or drawing lazy circles over her sides, as well as the warmth and closeness. She felt more safe than anywhere else.

As she mused, Laphi indulged his curiousity: "What are the other seraphim doing?" With Edna unresponsive, Symonne fielded the question.

"Phi and Eizen went to travel a bit, and Zaveid went along with them. Odd group, isn't it?" Edna and Laphi snorted, fully in agreement. Symonne flashed a smile as well. "Thought so. Mikleo is... I don't know, actually. Edna?"

"Locked himself up in a room and didn't come out for a week," she murmured, once again aching. "He took losing Sorey the hardest, but he is recovering."

"He returned to duty a month ago, right?"

"Right. As much grief as I may give him, he takes being a firekeeper seriously."

"Unlike Phi, who just ran off," Symonne quipped into their exchange. Edna shrugged at her.

"It's his blessing, so he can take a break whenever he wants."

"Fair."

"And to be fair, we do not need two shepherds right now," Laphi reasoned idly. "One who wields the flame is enough." Neither girl called him out for defending his counterpart; Edna knew he liked to pretend hostility, as did Phi, but they had grown to a cordial indifference about each other. So she ruffled his silky hair instead, not that he complained. He was not wrong either, Sorey and Margaret raised an entire generation of people willing to step up, their own descendants first among them.

She knew she ought to ponder what to do next, but another thought kept nagging at her; Zaveid and Velvet separated amicably many decades ago, yet here Edna was still happy with both Laphi and Symonne. She felt it was time, though the prospect of actually saying it almost cut off her voice, turning it into a soft murmur: "I wanted to tell you something."

The soft noises she earned in response transitioned into curious looks when Edna kept her silence, trying to work up confidence. She pushed her boyfriend and girlfriend back a bit, holding each by one hand and meeting their sunken gazes. Now was not a good time, but the words wanted out. Edna took a deep breath, failed to calm down, and spoke anyway: "My true name is Hephsin Yulind."

She could tell the exact moment the words registered; first their eyes widened to a comical degree, then Laphi blushed a bright scarlet while Symonne simply stared. Edna squeezed their hands until they recovered, her momentary worry dispelled by loving smiles. "Kyurib Ishuk," Symonne answered her before Laphi did the same.

"Geb Imesh."

"...and just who named you 'Kind Light'?" Symonne teased immediately, to which the boy shrugged.

"My silly sister."

"Figured that much," Edna quipped before sizing them both up and repeating their true names. Then she leaned forward to claim Laphi's lips. She knew she ought to wait some more, let them recover, but for now she wanted to bask in the moment. Say their names over and over, delight at hearing her own name repeated time and time again. The future could wait. For now she would enjoy what they had.

 

[Naron]

"Who would have thought to see humans, hellions, and seraphim here, united as one?"

"Oh yes, indeed." Zui Fuu grunted at Zenrus in amusement. "And all it took was two new gods." They chuckled, more out of elation than actual mirth; both malakhim were positively ecstatic over the recent changes.

The ivory rapig flapped her wings to keep up with Zenrus' pace as the two continued their round through the heavenly steppes. Ancient dust was cleaned away by the new arrivals and excitement ran strong. "Has it really been a hundred years already?" Zui mused once they had some distance to everyone. "It feels like yesterday that I ascended to Innominat."

"What's a hundred years to the likes of us?" Zenrus retorted kindly, and he was right; they both felt their age. Then however, he chuckled. "How cute of the boy to think all of us could become dragons, though." Zui's squeaky laugh joined his moments later.

"Well, now he knows better. Then again, if we actually asked, one of the four would probably spare enough power for us to bridge the gap. Hyanoa, most likely."

"The old softy." Zenrus huffed again before shaking his head. "But no, I'd never want to become inert like they have to be for so long. Being born too weak to ever reach dragonhood naturally is a boon I quite enjoy, regardless of the heartache it carries. We have this conversation every few thousand years, don't we?"

"We do, not that it ever stops being relevant." They began to ascend white marble staircases, the realm hidden within the earthpulses contorting under Zui's will to see them to their destination sooner. "The six we have now make a good group. Perhaps the malak Laphicet will rise again one day, but we definitely need no more than seven. I hear literacy reached ninety percent of the population recently?"

"It did. We have seen a resurgence in bonds between humans and seraphim, too. You should come out of your hidey hole more often, piggy."

"I will consider it," the rapig retorted with a snorting grunt. She paused as they reached the penultimate chamber, the highest point any being could reach in this realm; before them stood the heavenly gate, having been closed for over fifty thousand years. "Maybe now there is time," she continued idly, "now that change has come at last. First with the rise of Maotelus, then the resuscitation of Innominat and birth of Minkkubi. I took a great risk that day, but it paid off in spades."

"Agreed, old friend. Agreed." Zenrus settled in front of the closed gate, ancient eyes resting on its nondescript structure. "I am still puzzled where it truly began, to be honest. At what moment were these events set into motion?"

Zui shook herself as she settled next to him, accepting a friendly pat on the head. "Who knows?" she replied. "You could make a case for it being the day Maotelus was forcefully bonded to the last Lord of Calamity, just as you could name the birth of Claudin Asgard. The Age of the Gods, Age of Chaos, and Age of Harmony have been defined by great personalities from beginning to end."

"Mhm. I like to think Claudin would be happy. His dream is finally becoming reality."

"As is ours, Zenrus. We lost Claudin, Artorius, Eleanor, and Magilou to time and strife, but we retained Minkkubi, Innominat, Maotelus, Margaret, Sorey, and Alisha." Zenrus faltered at the mention of his late ward's name, but a soft smile played around his lips nonetheless. The boy had proven himself in peacetime, far more so than during the struggle. Zui carried on after a moment: "On that note, I told you so. That makes fifty-three for me and thirty-one for you, Zenrus. You should hedge your bets on dreaming gods more often."

"...you're still counting?"

"I have a lot of free time, you know?"

They shared another laugh, gazes still glued to the inert gate. Last of the malakhim who passed through in eons past, having waited fifty thousand years for it to open once more, their dreams were about to come true.

"It's still closed," Zenrus commented in the end. Zui grunted.

"In time, surely, the peaceful union of humans, malakhim, and even hellions will make this gate open. The better question is what we will find on the other side, what the seraphim will think of us." A group of three lamias scaled the stairs, but quickly retreated upon spotting them; all Forton sisters deferred to them with boundless respect after learning their age. Zenrus chuckled over both their behaviour and his own thoughts.

"It will take a few more centuries, perhaps millennia, before this gate will open. We need lasting peace after all. Then again, I doubt their opinion of us will be problematic. With what I learned about Minkkubi, they will have a lot to answer for." Such as cursing mankind and malakhim with forced evolution through Malevolence, at the cost of their sanity.

"True, true." Zui grunted in amusement again. "I am not sad for them." Zenrus quite agreed with her; in fact, the thought of these old seraphim shaking in fear at the prospect of Velvet Crowe's imminent arrival brightened his mood even further.

But ultimately, that was a consideration for later. Even if just for a moment, they could celebrate. Zui had been right, Maotelus and the wider world were saved. Even more than saved, improved really. No one knew what the future may bring, but for the first time in eons the two malakhim could feel truly hopeful. A future awaited.

THE END