---

---

With her back still turned to the Sol, Czigani frowned at the pleasantries flowing from the girl’s tongue, realizing just how much of an impression palace servants -no, slaves- had to make just to appease their royal masters. Sure, Solari was just satisfying her due diligence, yet like most of the servants even in Fotia, Czigani was not so much in agreement of them being tied down as they were to any master, being forced to play nice with everyone, and the such. In the Sol’s case, perhaps it was in her personality to be subservient, and to think less of herself and more about the needs of others. It was a commendable trait for certain, but the Tyro couldn’t help but think that such creatures are being taken advantage of far beyond what they’d ever expected. However, this wasn’t the time or place to rise up against such things, but to put her personal feelings aside for now and focus on recuperating, and so as the Fotian unlaced and slipped off her leggings, she then stepped up and into the hot bath, allowing her sore naked body to slowly sink into the welcoming water.

“Sh’ej’i...fv’aresc’k...” Closing her eyes, the young Tyro moaned in her native tongue as her body sank up to about her neck, and she sat, allowing the hot water to immediately relax away tension, and stiffness throughout her joints and muscles. She barely heard the soft footsteps of the servant girl as she sat at the edge of the bath and gently began examining the wound along the right side of her face, eliciting a slight wince from the patient as the bandages were slowly removed.

Czigani heard the other’s subtle gasp, but knowing just how terrible the wound really was, who could blame her? However, as she had mentioned to Solari moments earlier, the wound would eventually scar over -probably quicker once healing agents were introduced- but it would never fully disappear as many normal scars do over time. The poison that was coated on the edge of her opponent's blade was of Nayu origin, and its ability to prevent skin cells from fully restoring was one it’s most prized attributes, of which not even magic could counter. Czi had to count her blessings, however, because if it wasn’t for her own varying degrees of resistances against many types of diseases and poisons, it could have taken her life indefinitely.

“Oh, I think I could relax here for a very long time.” She responded to Solari’s comment, not realizing that the combination of fatigue, the hot bath, and the healer’s soothing voice, was causing the Tyro’s mind to drift in and out. “You have a-” The words barely escaped her lips as sleeps was coming sooner than later. “You have a nice touch…”

---

Allard towered over the other delivery men, who were either moving wine barrels in pairs or with cattle. Allard on the other hand, had a barrel in each arm and one on his back. He picked up a job for the day to help deliver wine to the royal banquet, and with how many barrels they were bringing in, they must have been a thirsty lot. The one on his back he was told was a special one and must be treated with care, which is why he strapped it on in the first place. He noticed that it was particularly light, and that it didn't seem to contain wine, but he shrugged it off with somewhat of a knowing grin. He placed his two barrels on the racks in the wine cellar and went to unstrap the other on his back, carfully making sure not to rock it around too much. He walked over and set it off to the side.

It had been around a week since he had escaped from the Fotian arenas, his heart still heavy. Since he had recovered, he had been milling about wondering what he wanted to do next. Everything he had worked for in life was now gone. Cruel fate had given him back his daughter and had taken it away just as quickly. His mind drifted as he gripped the blade at his side. He shook his head, thinking that maybe he just needed a drink. He wiped his face with a sigh, all drinks had seemed bitter recently, even when he 'sampled' some of the fine wine. He went back to the cart to retrieve more wine when he overheard some of the regular deliverymen talking.

"Did you hear? The king is putting together a force with warriors from around the five countries!"
"Really? Seems odd, whatever would we need something like that around here for?"
"I dunno, maybe its a political move to bring everyone together."
"Doubt it'll last long. These alliances never seem to last more than one conflict. Wonder what has them so worried."
"Don't get me lying, but hear this. I heard that if you can prove your mettle, you'll be right as rain."
"In what way?"
"WHY IN BLOODY MONEY, OF COARSE! Why else would ya risk life an limb!? Aye, I believe a man could be rightly set doin' it."
"Maybe I should give it a go then, eh?"
"Horseshit, with your two left feet? You would die tripping down the stairway of the castle on your way out the door."
"Aw, shut it and help me get this unloaded."

An Alliance Force? That could be promising. He lifted another two barrels with ease as he walked by the two men who were still struggling to get one from the cart. After setting them down he noticed them headed his way. It was the last barrel so he picked it up from them and rested it on his shoulder. "So, this alliance business. Where would ya go ta sign up fur somethin' like that?" The two men exchanged glances as the older one spoke up. "Well, you might here the king say something about it soon, but I'll tell you now, keep on working like you are, and I'll offer you Hobb's job," the man said with a chuckle. "Ey! Don't even joke, I've got me and mine to take of too, you know." they both laughed as they went back around to the front of the wagon. Allard set the last barrel in the racks and walked over to meet them to collect his pay. 'Maybe if I join this 'alliance' I can find those damned Therosi,' he thought, 'and send each one ta meet their maker.'

(ooc: discord collab between Lynn and Bonnie where Bonnie starts out and each space swaps writers. It was a lot to copy so I didn't go through and check too much for punctuation and typos, and I didn't color code Lynn's speech, but if you see anything major let us know. Enjoy.)

The ankle bracelet might have been gone, but that didn't necessarily mean Lynn didn't still have the chance to get it. Unbeknownst to her, the new owner of the jewelry had his eyes squarely on her. He knew she had her eyes on it. She knew that she was willing to pay for it. And he knew she had the money for it. So why not take the chance? If nothing else, he could always fence it to one of the dozens of outlaw organizations that so infested this city. Lynn felt something tugging at her sleeve.

Lynn notices something tugging at her sleeve that pulls her attention away from the fireworks "hm?'" she turned and saw what she believed to be a young boy below her. "Oh, hello there!" she said as she floated back down to talk to the kid, still seated on her staff.

The "kid" kept his head down, face obscured by the peak of his cap. Wordlessly, he produced the ankle-bracelet from his coat and held it out

"Oh, I couldn't possibly... wait. Isn't that the one from that man's stall" she said as her eyes widened a bit "look, i appreciate the offer, but i cant buy that from you.... unless..." she thought for a moment. The kid was obviously just trying to get by, she felt like she had to do something. "how about this. We take it back to the shopkeeper, and ill buy it from him, and afterwards i'll get some food for you and give you some of what I made from singing today. It's not much but it should help you more than me!"

"No." He said laconically. "You buy it now, or it goes away"

"Twenty coins." Again, very laconic. Almost like he doesn't want her to hear his voice too much. Then again, it makes sense. He is a thief after all, and it wouldn't do much good for a thief to be recognisable

"Alright, on one condition. I take you somewhere to get some food before you go" she said as she looked in her pouch for coins. She had about forty in total, meaning tbay she wouldn't be able to but it from him

He hesitated for a second. Lynn could practically see the cogs turning in his head. On one hand, he could afford to let her see his face, lest she report him to the authorities. On the other hand, he needed to eat. Without something in his belly soon, he'd surely starve. "...fine"

Lynn's ears perked back up with a smile, "Ok, I'll be right back." she went back and returned the bracelet to the owner, explaining that she found it on the ground but no longer was able to buy it from him again. When she came back she was glad to see bonnie hadn't run off yet. "alright, how about over there at that stand? It looks tasty! Unless you had another place in mind."

Of course he stuck around. Lynn had offered him food, and from the looks of him, he damn well needed it. He was all skin and bone! Those ragged strips of cloth that only the most bitterly sarcastic individual could call clothes gave him no production from the elements whatsoever, and his skinny frame was shivering in the cool night wind. His tail, a neon turquoise colour, flitted from side to side, the only part of him that actually looked healthy. He nodded softly, unwilling to speak

"Ok, food stand it is" she brought him to the stand and ordered something forbthe both of them, leaving her with only 10 coins for travel. While they waited for the food to cook, she turned to bonnie. "So, how old are you?"

He looked away from her. Shyness? The uncomfortable shuffling of his feet said yes. "Nineteen..." He barely whispered

A look of shock came over her face when she heard his age, "W-wow, nineteen! That's only a year younger than me, and you look so young!" She leaned back on her staff as she thought about the idea of it, " You know, that must mean you will age pretty well!" The food came out and Lynn took them, handing one to Bonnie, "Here you go. A meal as promised, hope you enjoy! By the way, my name is Lynn, what's yours?"

For the first time he looked at her. And oh god, did Lynn wish he hadn't. For starters, he was emaciated. Hollow cheeks, tired eyes, and a grave expression all marred his features horrendously. What made it worse was, it was plain to see he'd actually be very cute without that. Kinda pretty, actually. Second, he was glaring like she'd just insulted his mother. For the food? Wow, sort of rude..."Too many questions"

"O-..oh...sorry," she replied, smile fading, moving stuff around on her own plate. "I didn't mean to pry..."

The little Oro turned back to his meal and pounced on the ate. He ate like an animal, using his hands to pull off chunks of food and devour them. He could do with some better table manners... And maybe a bath

Lynn wasn't sure where to go on. She had so many questions, but maybe that was the problem. Only thing she has done since she has left Tearia is ask everybody questions. Though it was only because everything was so new to her. She looked down at her plate, there were even things there that she didn't recognize which she poked experimentally at with her utensil. Maybe she should talk about herself to ease him up a bit? "This the first time I've left Tearia," she started, "I plan on traveling and seeing the world. Everything seems so strange out here, its amazing."

"Bad place to come." The boy grunted in response. His mouth was full of food.

"Well I can't say that I didn't want to see the festival, but it was kind of a forced visit. I was sent with the Queen as part of the medical back up for her escort. While they are having their banquet though, we are able to roam around and see the city. I wished I could have looked around the nature some more though."

He stopped. He looked up at you. His face turned white with anger. "Fuck the Queen." He whispered, and his tone had a dangerous hint to it

Her eyes went wide at the reaction and her finned ears flared out at his sudden angry yet quiet outburst, "Well that is quite uncalled for, not to mention ruuude! Besides, she is the reason I was able to make it to the festival in the first place." She looked back at her plate at another unfamiliar item, ". . . . . Do you know what this is?" She asked quietly.

But Bonnie wasn't listening. He rambled on. "Hoity Toity bitch steals our money and for what? So she can send our fucking men on big wars so they all die off. No money left for stopping bandits. No, when some foreigner wants to take over, it's all fucking hands on deck, but when some bastard starts taking slaves and selling whores and rolling in it, then they become a fucking noble. And they get land for it. More people for them to enslave. Is that fair, miss? That some dolled-up tart gets to tell us what we should do, drill us, diet us, treat us like cattle, just cause she came out the right royal cunt!?"

"Well....if that's the case then no, they aren't doing their duties I'd say. It isn't quite like that at home though. Sea dragons and technology are used for most work. Crime is fairly low, and not many people would try invading the sea. Our queen is selected by a trial, not blood, though I can say we don't see our Queen much as she keeps mostly to herself." She was beat red with Bonnie's choice in vocabulary, "I....I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Well, no one ever asked me who should be king..." Bonnie huffed. And like that, he had gone back into his quiet state, silently eating away

"I don't want to go back though..." she said in a low tone. "I thought of running away before the queen took us back so I could stay, but that would mean I would have to leave the infirmary behind. I'm not sure I can just do that. Not on my own."

Bonnie's pointed ears twitched a little "You're a doctor?"

Lynn nodded slowly as she lifted her hand, a strand of water flowing out of her jar forming into a small bubble that started glowing with a faint teal hue. "Mhm, I work with my mother at our infirmary, I was asked to accompany the the escort because I could breath and walk outside of water."

"That's good. Too many selfish bastards these days. Nice to see someone who cares for once." He spoke in short, quick sentences, but his tone had definetly changed somewhat. He sounded just that littlest bit warmer

"Well... I suppose I'm a little selfish. I could have stayed home and kept working but instead I've been out here, entertaining thoughts of leaving only to satisfy my own curiousity. I wish I could make a copy of myself to do both." This was obviously something she had tossed around in her mind more than once, unsure which path was the right one to take.

"It's not a bad thing to think about yourself sometimes" Bonnie murmured, having cleaned his plate out "You're important as well. You're not made of clockwork"

Lynn smiled a bit as she turned back to her food, feeling a bit better now that the conversation wasn't so hostile. "I know, but I feel like I would be letting someone down. If I had a reason to leave that would be one thing, but right now it's just my own craving to explore." She still didn't know what half the things on her plate were, and honestly wasn't as much hungry as she just wanted to make sure he ate something. Now that she saw his condition, she lost her appetite wanting to be certain he had a good meal first. "Here," she started, "You can have the rest of mine as well. I would say save it for later, but I'm not sure how well it will keep."

Hey, he wasn't gonna object to the extra food. As before, he pounced on it, devouring huge chunks Lynn wouldn't have believed someone so small would be able to stomach. Through a mouthful of food, he said "You'd let more people down if you collapsed of fuckin' exhaustion, wouldn't ye?"

"It's happened before actually. I had a person who was badly injured by a sea dragon, had a poison that had set into their body as well. It took me four days of nonstop healing. I had to use enchantments on myself just to stay up. I fell out for a week afterwards but the man survived. We were short staffed at the time so we couldn't swap out."

The boy scoffed, as though you'd proven his point "Well, there ye go then"

Lynn laughed a little at the thought, looking back at it. She was almost always tired when she was back home. "Oh, but where should I go first? I hear there are grand sights to visit all over." she thought for a minute while Bonnie was eating "Do....do you have anywhere to go besides here?"

"Lady, I'd maul a cunt to get out o' this shithole" Bonnie grunted "If you got a suggestion, I'll fucking take it"

"I don't know. If you want to leave here maybe we can bring you back with us. We could always use another hand at the infirmary."

Bonnie looked at her like she had grown another head "Ye mean travel back wi yon Queenie bitch?"

"Makes traveling easier"

"No. Nae force above or below can convince me to sit five minutes wi' a royal"

"Don't be silly, we don't sit with her, the escort is rather large. I rode with them on my staff on the way here so I could see the sights."

Bonnie snapped "I'm no going wi yer Queen Cunt, Alright!?" If Lynn looked closely, she would see... his horns and tail had turned red

Lynn went on, this time overlooking his petty anger,"But we would have to find you some equipment if you were to live there. Even with the right protective clothing, it would probably be too bothersome trying to live underwater. Even with a dry room under there, you probably wouldn't be very comfortable." she stopped for a moment realizing his mood changed again, seeing the red color in his tail and horns. Her eye went wide and she perked up, but not in fright, more like fascination. "Oh wow! You changed colors! That is so cool!"

His eyes widened as he looked back at his tail. Internally, he cursed and took a deep breath. Come on, fella, calm down. You're not in any danger here. Not yet anyway. Just calm down. Calm. Down. He let out a sigh of relief as the neon red slowly faded into yellow, then back to green. It never went back to its icy blue, though "Ye shouldnae ha' seen thon..."

Her head tilted slightly, "Oh...Well...its quite amazing either way."

Constance held her head high. She and Dremmick had a lot more in common than they both thought. Carrying Siiga up there with no shame, she looked Vrondi in the eyes. “This is a big stretch, but I’ve nothing to ask for that you could help with but this. My mother… I know that she is Sol. Her name was Analetta. She lives here, if she’s still alive. I’ve been told she looks like me. That’s all I know,” She spoke, trying to keep her voice strong. “Is there anyone that can help me find her?” She subconsciously starts squeezing Siiga tight, her hands clenching as she stares at the King of Light himself, basically crying for help right on front of him.



With everyone else occupied with the banquet, they’d basically forgotten of their Cerese, who stood near the walls as another guard of sorts. She looked around the room, taking notice of colors. The module was updated recently, so they could spot hiding enemies better, which made them far more vibrant. They walked to the windows chasing flying creatures with her eyes. As they flew downwards, her eyes got caught at the streets, spotting a Tearian.

THREAT ALERT

Connecting it to their function of protecting Tearians, they identified dangers along the road, along with bandits and open flames as she sang. With no one watching her, she quickly made out of the hall. Guards knew of her importance, so no one really stopped her as she walked out.

After finding a potential exit as she made her way down one of the many stairwells, she arrived at a second floor garden. Seeing an opening, she casually climbed over the rail, and dropped to the streets around some bums, alarming them, as she picked herself up, and continued walking. Finding her way to the street the window had been facing, she saw the Lassa giving a merchant something. That wasn’t how it worked! The merchants were supposed to give you goods. As the Lassa walked farther away, Cerese 01 stopped at the stand grabbing the item she had given to the seller. Grabbing it, they looked up at him. He looked expectantly at her, but she produced no money, and kept walking. “Hey!” He said, stepping out of his stall to grab at her shoulder.

THREAT ALERT

Turning swiftly, she swung her leg around to kick him in his liver. He crumpled down, clutching his side. “What the hell?!” He cried, but she was already on her way. It was quite easy to track down the Tearian, since her heat mark was far different than other races. Looking at the object as she walked, she did not understand it’s purpose. What would something this small protect? Was it a weapon she hadn’t seen before? Arriving to where the Lassa sat, with a small female child, Cerese 01 held out the object to her. “I received the stolen item.”

---

Lynn noticed a bit of an uproar and looked over to see Cerese headed their way, "Cerese! Hey! What brings you down here?" She then sees the bracelet in her hand as she held it out. Her eyes went wide and ears went down as she recognized it. She looked nervous as she took the bracelet and responded, "Oh no! He didn't steal it from me! He uh," she cut off glancing over to Bonnie then back to Cerese, "lost it and then I found it and returned it to him. That was a piece of jewelry that man was trying to sell. Maybe if we get it back to him in time we can-,"

"AY, YOU OVER THERE! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!," A gaurd yelling, cutting off Lynn as he and another guards tried to make their way through the crowd to them.

"Oh no, what do we do? We can't hurt them..." She thought for a moment and then the thought stuck her. She produced a bit of water from her jar and drank it so that her vocal chords and mouth were prepped, and started to sing a simple song, this time weaving a bit of magic into her song to help calm the guards. This seemed to work fairly well as the at first irritated and angry guards instead walked up, weapons sheathed and helmets in hand, all smiles.

"Ahem, uh, sorry to bother you ladies, but a man reported that this lady with you here assaulted him and stole jewelry from him," the guard started. Lynn, playing the part very well giggled a little from behind her large sleeve, her eyes just above it as some fancier women would over a fan, "Unfortunately, he's a little right. I had just returned it a short while ago and Cerese here registered that as him stealing it from me, and went to go get it back. It was an accident, I promise." She went to hand the bracelet back to the guard. "Could you hand this back to him for me, I'd be too embarrassed to give this back to him a second time."

"No problem, Just keep you 'friend' here in check alright. We've got a lot of real thieving to keep an eye out for. Have a nice day." They both turned to walk away, putting their helmets back on, one fussing a little and the other punched him in the arm as he started laughing. "Well that went a lot better than planned," she sighed heavily, letting go of a little tension levitating a bit lower on her staff.

@Rai

---

---

Ami stood before Lucius trying as hard as she might to be polite then when the Sol male towering over her said “ "If you would rather go somewhere more private. I would understand. But if you wish to stay you need to calm your aura. Just for today."” something snapped.

Her aura flared making her wings burn almost as brightly as the noonday sun.

”I am how I am because of the molding of others who have always sought to make of me what they saw I should be; and what is that Lucius?” she fixed him with a direct stare her amber eyes shimmering as brightly as her wings.

”Am I someone to love, a prize in some contest, an object of desire, or just a silly girl who should know her place and remain silent?” her normally beautiful face is a mask of a wrathful goddess reminding any who have seen the statue of the huntress virgin goddess disturbed in her bath.

”I am done here” is all she says following her demand before she spins on a heel and heads to her private chambers

Anui and Lila's tussle in the silver light was not interrupted. Anui refused to wince at Lila's clawing. Their experience no matter what was not a degradation to either one. Two pure temples of the night embracing each others flesh. Anui smiled at Lila as he kept his sight on her eyes but left a hand on her bare thigh. "I felt your soul." He whispered. Sincerely looking at her. "I felt the beast in you. A cold hardened blade untouched.." He kissed her bare stomach gently. "I felt you melt." He kissed her chest gently.

Soon after a whirl of sound came hurtling down the halls through out the castle. The many whirling steps and depth of their location was nothing to this nearly sentient wave. Like a creeping beast it emerged and engulfed their ears. The sound echoed through the cave. "WHERE IS MY SON!?" Anui looked up. His eyes searching the ceiling before he looked at the entrance of the cave. "Mother..."

---

It was time. With Illia within the room and the door closed Vrondi presented her forward. "This is Illia. The Seer of all. With your gift, Illia, we can attempt to see what brought down the ancient dragon gods. And their one true lord. The God of them all. Tevlaniuk.."[/color] Whilst floating Vrondi made his way to the center to the edge of the table. He brought a hand down and Illia looked up at him. "I see. I do apologize dear king. But I have lost my orb when attacked by a servant of Nuxta. If not for your knights I may have suffered worse." Vrondi's eyes widened. He looked to the Nero corner. In the hand of Sleeth's guest was a seeing orb.

"What you've said is quite unfortunate. Yet it was fate for you to be saved by such valiant adventurers. I dare say they pale to knights. I apologize. Not seeing the impending danger. It seems our enemy is constantly making moves. We must act fast." He extended a hand to Sleeth's guest.
"May we make use of your orb?" The dark hooded woman whose face was hardly visible seemed unaware of how to react. Sleeth's arm quickly blocked her, coming in between Vrondi and her. "What's wrong? Does the King of light not have his own materials? Is this a favor?" He smirked. Vrondi looked at him a bit defeated. Magnixx and the others crossed their arms or muttered how arrogant Sleeth was.

"This will be for the benefit of us all." Said Vrondi. Sleeth shook his head slowly. "I'm not convinced." Vrondi looked at Sleeth now with a curious expression. But before he could speak the soft voice of the woman holding the sphere next to Sleeth began to cry out. "I-I am willing to allow this. Borrow it as long as you.. we.. need to." Her head lowered she was nearly trembling in nervousness and anticipation. Sleeth looked at her briefly before sitting back in his seat, dropping his arm. "Tch. Do as you wish then." The woman nodded to Sleeth weakly and then turned to Illia. She held out the orb in both hands.

Illia grabbed the King's hand and stood a top the long stone table. She then reached down and held onto the orb with both hands. "Thank you." She stood. Walking next to Vrondi on the table in front of all the Kings and Queens. Including Sophia. Illia brought the orb up. Then let it go. The orb began to float midair. Light emitting from it in sparkling flashes across its surface. "Such a feat will require nearly all of my energy. And some. Vrondi, if you would be so kind." The King nodded to her. He brought his hands to her back and gently pressed them against her flesh. Her elegant flesh began to give off a feint glow. She closed her eyes as if in a peaceful rest. Then the light in the orb exploded enveloping everyone.

The group would regain their vision but would be sitting in their seats at the table while in a wide field with countless hills. The grass was tall and lusciously green. Yet patches of fires burned and curved into smoke clouds in the sky. Countless shadows emerged into the sky from the highest hills at the horizon on the east and to the west shadows emerged from the ground. When they met the chaos was all around them. Armored knights slaying hordes of dragons with magic and weapons. Leading the knights were angelic beings. Each riding mythical dragons. As two combated near them the group would see the massive size of the battle. Each dragon being titanic and their riders, though dwarfed, were much larger than most if not all descendants.

A dragon pinned another. Its angelic rider wearing black armor and having silver wings. His spear was to the dragons neck, whilst the dragon he rode held it down. "You traitor!" The pinned dragon screamed. The Dragon above it snarled. "You fight to save the old ways. But the all maker demands a change, or we will all perish!" With a savage howl it clawed open its foes underbelly while the knight skewered its throat. Rivers of crimson flowed and off they were to continue fighting the countless war.

"This was the dragon war. Long ago our ancestors used their kinship to the dragons to fight them. And their subordinates." Vrondi said. Pointing to the growing army beneath the dragons of various creatures. Giants, elves, orcs, and goblins. More sentient beings that no descendant has ever seen or may have even heard of. With a time lapse the battle field was scattered, covered in bodies. All that remained were a few dragons and the angelic knights not yet dead that fought them. A divine light out shined all auras there, despite how powerful they could feel they were. Even in a presumed illusion the auras felt real.

"All must end and begin anew."
A soft gentle voice echoed out. Before it was the whirling form of black fire. It morphed into the vague silhouette of a massive dragon. Its size could only be seen as a mountain facing a small figure of light. The size, the intensity of the darkness was pierced with glowing red dagger like eyes with a golden slit. "I am a child of eternal chaos. I will never cease to exist." The growling vicious voice of a angered beast echoed throughout the land. Yet the small light before it, sharp and bright as the sun in the void, continued to stand before the dark. "You will exist only to maintain the cycle. This will amend the chaos and give birth to divinity. Now. I cast away thine flesh and with the chains of the all maker I bind your soul. Now rest.. for eternity..."

A bright white light cut through the mass of darkness. A terrible roar could be heard that shook the world. Earthquakes erupted everywhere. Volcanoes emerged within seconds. The darkness was cast away and all that remained was the white form of a baby dragon within a crystal egg. It slept peacefully before lowering slowly into the cracks of the earth. Light burst through the cracks of the earth and things seemed to get a lot worse. Stalagmites twice the size of mountains began to jut out of the earth. Soon it surrounded the entire world. All but where they sat. In fact the mass of land they sat on seemed to be rapidly growing through a time lapse.

Soon kingdoms were being grown and descendants were seen living their lives in lush environments. Far along the edge of the waters though the stalagmites remained. A blockade yet also a reminder of their worlds fragility.
"This is after the war. When I was still quite young." Vrondi said. Looking at the lush fields. They were in Vrondi territory, but long ago. Perhaps over 600 years ago. Illia was silent as this happened. Vrondi placed a hand on her shoulder as sweat began to drip down her face.
"That is enough." He said. She breathed in deep and exhaled. The orb landing in her hands and she gently handed it back. Everything returned to normal instantly. Vrondi stepped down to his end of the table while Illia walked off the table to stand next to Sophia.

"So.. What was your interpretations?" He asked the room openly.
@13org

---

Vrondi awaited Constance. She came with an injured ally. It pained him visibly to be meeting her and Siiga in such conditions. But before he could ask if they were OK Constance spoke up. His reading of her emotions found her to be growing in turmoil. He could only listen with a understanding furrowed brow. Though his white brows were radiating with energy. He nodded as he listened. He crossed his arms and thought with a low hum. "Analetta.. Analetta. There are so many children who run around here. Most have children of their own.. We do have a family tree. Very detailed. If you wish to look it over tell the scholars I sent you. Present them this. If you are a child of light you will be able to hold this." Vrondi held out his hand and a sun amulet was in it. "This is something only those of royal blood are given. If you indeed are the daughter of this land you will be able to keep it."

Vrondi's hand reached out and touched Constance's shoulder. "I for one would be proud to have you be a part of the family." His light emitted from him. Charging Constance with light. "I assume your friend here is next?"

---

The blush remained as she tried to look away from the bare body of her patient. Though she was serving her she was still a guest so she was allowed to feel uncomfortable. But it was not this but the exotic nature of being a Tyro that peeked Solari's curiousity of Czigani. Very few royals visited that were not Sol or Seraphim in origin. So she was not used to observing her clients bodies with actual intrigue. As she let out a soft pained moan, entering the steaming waters, she took this as an opportunity to get closer. Not out of a desire to get closer, though she did a little, it was more so to remain vigilant of Czigani's needs. If she was in pain she needed to be eased from this pain immediately. This was simply her nature.

The observance of her bandaged wound was done delicately. The fact the Tyro let her remove the bandages was a tense yet relieving moment for the young Sol. She could only silently gasp at the sight. But it was not something she had not seen before. The poisons in Vrondi were pretty potent and if not for their techniques many would suffer fatally from it. "I'm sorry." She said softly. Placing the bandage in a dry location next to her. A fresh bandage prepared not too far away.

Solari put hands on her gently. Trying to stay above the chest. Her soft petite hands smoothed over her neck and shoulders. A soft glow emitting from them. She then reached into her pouch and dropped a few dozen tiny seeds into the water. The light from her hands reached the water and the seeds began to sprout into vines of beautiful yellow flowers. "These absorb toxins." She said. Unintentionally whispering softly into her ear. She noticed her client falling asleep and sighed with relief. She was happy Czigani was not a demanding royal. Despite her many wounds. "I hope this brings you comfort." She said more firmly. Rubbing her warm healing hands on the back of her neck. Her facial wound being slowly reduced.
@Dread

---

Lucius sighed. "You're not alone in this Ami. You should know this." He said with a bit of a frustrated tone. "The young must obey to the old. That's the law of the royal." He tried to ignore the others who were watching them briefly argue. They began to get the message, the on lookers, that Ami was not a dancer. But perhaps a trouble making royal brat. Some chuckled at her wings exploding as if she had no control. Another in the crowd mimicked her. Their dragon like wings glowing with a brilliant display of colors. The on lookers shifting their attention to one more willing to flaunt their peacock like display of abilities.

Ami began to storm off. Lucius placed the drink meant for her in the hands of a servant and chased after her. The servants waving at the flames as she walked away. "Ami!" He said, trying not to shout but remain assertively loud. "We all are objects. The most desired and fated to breed more of our kind." He tossed the empty cup of his on a table as they passed. Heading to the stairs to the private wings of the castle, close to the guest rooms. Though Ami's was visible from the windows, her room's outside garden being very large. "But lets talk about how we both can escape this... fate." He spoke softly. Aiming to gauge her reaction as they made their way down the golden white halls.

@RumikoOhara

---

---

The Sol’s voice continued in its harmonious tone as she spoke to the young Fotian and gently lifted the bandage from her face, causing a small amount of discomfort for the Tyro, but still better than it had been days prior. Czigani caught the subtle stench from the toxins that permeated from not only the large gash, but the surrounding pores of her skin. Her nose wrinkled up momentarily from the smell before relaxing once again, even as the rest of her body began to loosen, the muscles and strain slowly subsiding from the heat of the bath and the introduction of whatever magicks Solari poured into it moments later. Toxins. Comfort., Czi was only catching fragments of the healers words, her voice was quite therapeutic, barely allowing room for any doubt that what the Tyro was doing was the right choice, leaving herself vulnerable and in the care of a stranger so very far from her home. And at that moment, the foreign scents that surrounded her, the ambience of rushing water cascading from the fountain, and the subtle rustling of the trees outside the window all began to fade as the Fotian fell into a deep, and much needed, slumber.


“You will die a most horrible death, Czigani Veraniath of house Hanoxx!”

The low guttural voice echoed loudly in her ears, even amongst the roaring spectators who surrounded the gladiatorial arena within the central courtyard of Castle Fotia. With a fresh wound across her face, and the excruciating pain that followed, she screamed from the sting of what felt like a thousand cuts to her skin all at once. Glancing around, Czigani could only see flashes of light and the blurred silhouettes of bystanders as well as her opponent, who loomed over her fallen body like a dark cloud of destruction, beaded sweat from his drenched brow incessantly dripping onto the young female’s bruised and battered face. With little strength left in her arms, she attempted to push her body up from the bloodied sand that covered the arena, but the other only pushed her down once again with his foot against her back, laughing hysterically and mocking the King's niece.

“Is this who you pathetic royals look up to?” His bassey voice carried throughout the courtyard, echoing off every pillar and statue along the perimeter. “She is nothing!” Her opponents booming laughter carried on a moment longer before he turned his full attention back to her broken body, positioning his blade against her exposed neck. “I'm going to enjoy this more than you could ever imagine, bitch.”

But the Fotian royal’s resolve was strong enough -even in her weakened state- to muster the strength to end the other's mocking laughter and venomous rhetoric. With her blade in hand, the pointy end found its mark as she drove the rest of her rapier up under his chin and through his skull, watching as her opponent's expression of shock was frozen, and words were lost in blood and sliced arteries.

It was a face she’d never forget...

Constance looked to him, trying to stay stoic. Upon bringing out the amulet, her solemn look faltered. She gingerly grabbed it, as if she felt unworthy to hold something like that. Clasping the sun, it felt like it purred in her hand.

”I for one would be proud to have you be a part of the family."

Tears welled in her eyes that she tried to hide. For all of her life, looking so Sol in Nero was like a curse. She was never called a child of the moon, but since she lived in Nero, never called a child of the sun. The only child she was told she was was that of a bastard. It was a limbo painful enough to sting.

It stung once more that she was light headed from lack of blood. A sun child, needing to drink blood to survive… She was a vampire who needed light, which certainly wasn’t something revered. A disgrace to both sides of her heritage, as she was filled with energy from only one half of herself.

Shaking it off, she nodded. Looking to her allies, and then to Siiga, she lifted her chin. ”Thank you. I do not mean to intrude with her request, but I don’t want her standing on her own,” She spoke, walling and bottling up her inner turmoil.



Tilting her head, she was clearly confused. She was going to speak, but was interrupted by loud sounds behind her. Turning, she saw guards rushing at them.

THREAT ALERT

She was ready to charge, but was held back. She looked to Lynn, almost getting upset. She was to protect all Lassa and here she was not being allowed to. Watching her pour something down her oral cavity- oh, she was drinking something,- Lynn started producing strange sounds. Very perplexed, she thought she was supposed to amplify the sound, so she did.

Nothing seemed to be happening, but she followed non verbal orders as well. They spoke, and didn’t register for a hot minute that they were addressing her. And then, they just walked off. Turning to Lynn after they moved, her eyes were wide.

“What psychokinesis are you possessing? Nothing in my data has shown you have those abilities. We-Ooo- I demand answers!” She yelled, taking Lynn’s hands to show concern. “The young child is not in the database either! Is he a serf you have? It’s important to know of all your endeavors so I can keep you safe!”

---

Dremmick listened to the king's answer, though he wasn't too pleased by it. He knew of who he spoke of as there was really only one seer in Nero and she was jealously guarded by her king. "If you could arrange a meeting with her for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you." He gave the same small bow that more resembled a nodding of the head before he turned and walked away. Anyone close who was fairly observant could notice a bit of red at the palm of his hand on his bandaged arm from him clenching his fist. He wasn't sure what to think. Or rather, there were just too many thoughts going around in his mind at once.

He wanted answers, yes, but how much would he have to give away to get them. Memories that he has had locked away inside, not only to keep secrets from others but so that maybe one day he may forget them. There were things he has done that not even he wished to see again. Unlike someone who knew what happened, this person would delve into his own life for answers. And what of this new alliance the king talked about. He couldn't possibly go along with that. It would undermine the whole reason he has stayed hidden for so long. If he stayed in a group, he would be putting every one of them in danger. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was settled then. After he got his information, he would have to leave, that's final. He couldn't bear risking others lives, besides, he had his own goals to achieve and he wouldn't get closer to finishing them by gallivanting across the world under the king's thumb. It would be best just to leave, they were capable enough.

He rested against a wall next to the door that Garret was next to, waiting for this to be over and retire for the night. From under his hood, he noticed the odd knight, not really dressed out for the occasion one could say. He smelled of the forest, which Dremmick thought would be of use there, but couldn't quite imagine why a man would keep himself that way when in the city.

---

Lynn looked at Cerese a little surprised. "O-oh, it was nothing. It was just a simple siren song to calm them down," she replied sheepishly. "And, Cerese, I've told you before, I don't have any rank. I'm just medical staff. I don't have any serfs, he is, uh-," she stammered for a split second remembering that he didn't give her his name, "a friend! We were just having lunch, you should join us! What brings you out here, anyway? I thought you were going to stay up at the castle. Is everything alright," she asked her head slightly tilting.

@Rai

---

---

Ami’s hands were folded before her, her half lidded eyes down cast as she drew every trace of her aura inward; withdrawing all but physically from the world. The people watched as the tall male Sol followed behind her saying firmly ”Ami” in a commanding tone.

She heard Lucius and how he in the same voice that had said how he understood and how they had no choice in the matter proving how little he understood by thinking that a superior tone and using her familiar name as if they were related and he her dominant should have any positive result. He was trying to assert himself on her because he like they took her gentle nature as weakness; perhaps they were missing the point of the struggle of life.

"But lets talk about how we both can escape this... fate." he said in a softer tone as he trailed behind her.

Ami’s aura now completely quenched turns to face him her voice is cold devoid of life without being sinister; ”You assume I don’t understand what is expected of me, how I must live my life. I assure you Lucius I do more so than my due credit for intelligence..

My blood is valuable, it is the foundation on which the Royal family wants to build. I am the fertile land, in my veins is the blood of the dryads. I am connected to the great mother, I am the vessel of life. she says before turning and continuing to her quarters and her personal garden.

Lucius is only allowed admittance by his rank and perceived level of familiarity by the guards then surrounded briefly by 4 bug fairy gardeners like the watch bees of any domesticated hive when he steps past the door.

A lone elder female of the nest watch hovers before Aim flying backwards as if fixed to a point in space watching intently the movement of her fingers that like the bug fairy body language and pheromones was how the young Sol female communicated with them. Then with a brief pitch change in the buzz of her wings the Elder flew off to do the bidding of what was in tiny creature’s belief her goddess.

Ami blurred as she reached out and touched a tree near the path then appeared farther into the garden by the Life Tree, the center of her garden. All around her was such rarities as to make the garden obsessed Sol weep for its variety and beauty; more proof the Concubine’s daughter held powerful royal connections.

That was as far as it went in the court, her blood connection to the royal family. Ami held power that wasn’t connected to intrigue or politics but something better.


”Does anyone even think to ask me why I want to leave here before I return to my fate?” she asks Lucius before he can say a word when he catches up to her

She interrupts any clever retort to her question saying ”Why should I be desirable if my emotions, intelligence, and will are not a point in my favor as well.

I am not some cow chewing her cud waiting her turn to increase the herd.”

She asks using her voice to display her annoyance in tone and tenor.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was all pretty touching and shit, he accepted her as a part of the family. Whatever. Why the fuck would she want to be accepted as a part of that family, though, Siiga didn't know. Suppose the money was alright, if you didnt mind having to clean the blood off it.

"I can stand on my own, sheesh!" Siiga groaned, trying to push off of Constance. "I told you I'm- Gah, FUCK!"

Maybe just five more minutes then. She rolled her eyes at herself - this was embarrassing! Hurry up and fucking cure, you stupid damn wounds! They were getting in the way of everything!

Wait, what was it the old man said? First of the Allied forces? Oh no. No, no, no. She was not helping these snot nosed, self-entitled, toffee-nosed cunts in their ever expanding quest to fuck everything and everyone seven ways to hell and back. They can shove that for a lark. She had better things to do with her time than run around, being all "Please, milord, thank you, milord" to some asshole who thought he was better than everyone else. Licking boots was not her fucking vocation!

"Yo, hold the fuck up. I don't know what you were expecting, but no one told me I was getting fucking conscripted!" She fumed, not giving to cups of powdered sparrow shit as to how everyone looked at her. "I'm not here to join your goddamn alliance. I'm here because you said I'd get something. So here I fucking am!"

But what? What did she want? Money? She had a small fortune stashed in her hideaway. Power? From this guy? Fuck that. A weapon? She could make them out of thin air, same with armour. Hell, the more she thought about it, the more she realised there wasn't actually anything she really wanted. A cute boy, a warm bed, a cold beer and the night sky was enough for her.

Might as well have some fun with it, right?

"But since you were so kind as to offer, Your Majesty," Siiga snarked, her voice thick like sarcastic Marmite. "I want... A dick. Not one of those titchy little toothpicky ones either, but like... A third leg, y'know? A big-ass dick that can spray litres over whoever I so choose. If it's not to much for his Royal Highness, of course"

If she could bow without assuring she wouldn't cough up a lung, she would have. It wouldn't stop her smirking like a Cheshire Cat, though

---

Bonnie's tail went from blue to green in an instant. The Garda, those malevolent bastards that never listened to a word he said when they caught him with half a loaf of old bread, just straight up turned around and walked away. Why? Because the Lassa said something. His hackles were well and truly raised and he found himself thumbing the hilt of the rusty old knife he had to protect himself with.

But when little miss robotic called him a serf, his grip hardened.

"You what?" He whispered, eyes wide and a voice soft. Distrust, like a firework, exploded in his mind. Who were these two? Why had the Lassa taken such an interest in him? Who did they work for?

This was not happening again. Not this time. Not to these two!

The dagger scraped against the leather as he pulled it out. His tail whipped around to protect him, and he cast a quick spell to prevent them touching him. The stool clattered to the ground as he lept to his feet, keeping his stance wide and low, ready to run at a moments instance.

"I dinnae ken wha sent ye, miss..." He growled. "But ye're gonna have tae go back to yer missus empty handed."

Better safe than sorry.

Next to Connie was Siiga. Who was grimacing visibly from her wounds. Hiked up here to speak to him, with her disdain plastered across her face. She openly spoke of her greed. Vrondi was not surprised but his guests and fellow royals were. Vrondi merely looked at her sternly. Not ignoring her words but looking past them. Not out of fear of looking malicious but out of a sympathy for what was possibly Constance's companion. A Tyro at that, and the only representative of her people despite her lack of knowledge. He awaited her request with his intense energy around his form being tamed to a calm aura.

"But since you were so kind as to offer, Your Majesty," Siiga snarked, her voice thick like sarcastic Marmite. "I want... A dick. Not one of those titchy little toothpicky ones either, but like... A third leg, y'know? A big-ass dick that can spray litres over whoever I so choose. If it's not to much for his Royal Highness, of course"

Vrondi did not react. The words she used lost him, but the crudeness of it reminded him of a joke. Why she would be joking at this time made him wonder if she was proud warrior at all. Instead she seemed akin to a fool with half a mind missing. With out his direction spears were placed and swords were drawn facing Siiga and due to proximity Constance. Vrondi did not wish Constance to be threatened and repelled them with a mental note. Mirror even joined them with a blade of ice forming in his palm, ready to pierce Siiga even if it meant going through Connie. He looked up with a frown firmly planted on his lips. He backed away as did the others slowly. Having closed the distance in an instant. They were clearly listening.

Vrondi looked to those who drew their weapons. Royals and other high ranking warriors of light that respected the king beyond measure. But now was not the time for their pride to shine. At least that was how Vrondi felt. So with a benevolent goal in mind Vrondi returned to the child. He didn't want to waste any more time with her. Especially as she was the last. "I said I would aid you. So if a dick.. is what you want. All things related to the sexual is Lord Eros's realm of knowledge. So wait, like the others, and I will send for you to have a meeting with him. Now. Go."

He turned to the crowd who were speaking among themselves of how crude these new warriors looked. It was similar to a show of disheveled brutes in Fotia. A contrast to their beauty and a kin to their view of the Blighted knight. If they were to work for their goals then they are dogs. Only through serving can they be recognized. This was their world and they mocked and laughed at Siiga's behavior. If they wanted, and she was not protected, many felt sure she could be their pet or slave before the end of the day. Though the ones thinking these horrendous thoughts considered her far too unrefined to muck up their halls.

Vrondi raised a hand to calm their chattering. "If these warriors are not your desired representatives then I extend membership into these united ranks to anyone willing to step fourth. I warn you. The perilous duty of protecting all descendants is not for the meek." He turned to Garrett. Motioning for him to take the group to the guest rooms. Then he awaited for anyone to step forward. The words he spoke resonated as a challenge to the royals. But none stepped forward. To join a pitiful group, as some knights began to say, who haled from all over, was a scornful mark on ones reputation. A group was nothing but the sum of its members and this one was seeming to be naive, broken, hurt and immature.

@Brithwyr@Jollan@Verticus@geurls

---

Allard made his way through the halls with one of the wine barrels slung over his left shoulder. He would stop and ask a member of staff for directions along the way to where he needed to take the barrel to serve the guests. While the other deliverymen left, there was a call for another keg to be brought up, so Allard volunteered to be the man to bring it up, after all, the weight was nothing to him, so it was an easy task.

Allard arrived just as Siiga was making her request, not much attention on him at the moment. He took the old barrel off of its rack and set the new one down, set with a spout ahead of time. Upon hearing Siigas request, he couldn't help but look up in surprise at what he heard, especially here of all places, and shook his head with a big grin, thinking it as a hilarious joke actually, even if it was probably not the best of times to make it. But it was when everyone drew their blades, that Allard's smile faded. He was off to the side around the serving table. out of the view of some. But seeing this display put a bitter taste in his mouth. Royals never seemed to change, ready to cut down someone for a something as small as words and even then they didn't have the guts to do it alone against one injured woman. It was pathetic.

Allard then heard the king say something he was hoping to hear, an invitation. He looked around to see if anyone would also take up the offer before stepping forward. "King Vrondi," his voice boomed with a large grin on his face, "I have no quarrel with these people, though I do find a number of your company ta be quite lacking in bravery an' honor. All drawing their swords on one injured person, even if they do have an interestin' view on humor, all the while shiverin' in their boots at tha very prospect o' dirtyin' them up. Let me volunteer in their stead. I pray I don't disappoint you even half as much as these pompous men who owe their title merely ta their father's pastime in bed."

He paid no mind if there were any Fotian nobles who recognized him here. He was in Vrondi territory, and his past life as the arena gladiator as 'The Behemoth', he wished to put far behind him. Nothing would stop him now, he had come too far.

---

Dremmick's eyes went wide at Siiga's request, even catching him off guard. "What in the blazing hell," he cursed. He noticed that a number of the royals had started reaching for their blades, including a few close to him. "Take another step forward and you will be dead before any of Vrondi's light reaches you." he said to the closest royal, who with a face of fear after seeing glowing dragon eyes stare at him from under a hood started to step back, sheathing his sword. Especially at the casualness of it, Dremmick's arms were still crossed as he leaned against the wall. He looked back over towards Siiga and Connie, noticing Mirror was among the ones who drew his blade as well. Dremmick shook his head. He listened to the large Oro man speak, which he found a little humorous. All in all though, Dremmick was ready to leave. He grew tired of the royals already.

---

Lynn was surprised by this turn of events, floating back on her staff a bit. She immediately turned to Cerese, "Cerese, do not engage. I am safe, see?" she turned back to Bonnie with a hurt look in her eyes, though she tried not to show it her finned ears betrayed her as well. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to-... I just wanted to explore and talk a little before having to go back." there was a bit of silence before she made a little bow. "I hope you enjoyed your meal, I hope to meet you again under better circumstances, I guess we caught each other at a bad time. It was nice meeting you though,... take care of yourself." She turned back to Cerese, "We should probably get you back over to the rest of the escort," she said, patting on the other half of the staff inviting her sit to fly with her over to the escort's staging area. She kinda hoped that the boy may follow, Glancing back once after they took off.

When they landed, She found a semi-secluded spot to sit with Cerese. She sat on a storage box with her knees up and her arms wrapped around them, her large sleeve covering most of her body.....yes, she was kinda pouting.

Lila Moriarty

^{@Rai @13org}

Words still failed to describe what Lila was feeling at that moment. Looking to Anui's eyes, filled with love, laying down and hugging him as she felt his hand on her thighs in a tranquil embrace. For the first time, Lila felt... safe. It was a weird feeling... A warm sensation on her chest, the desire to simply be together with him. After so many years, she felt like she had finally found her place in the world. A place just hers, where she knew she would be loved. That place was exactly where she was right now, besides Anui.

"I felt your soul." Anui whispered to her. Making her smile kindly to him. His voice sounded so beautiful on her ears. So soft, so caring so filled with love. Lila didn't want to interrupt that moment so she quietly looked to Anui's eyes. Her warm and kind smile, her expressionand even her eyes were so much different from before. She was at peace.

Anui's words made her hug him tighter. He wasn't the one who felt like that. She had also felt his soul through his blood. His thoughts, his past, his desire, his love... On her mind, she felt like him and her were one and only.

"I felt the beast in you. A cold hardened blade untouched." Anui continued. That beast, that monster, the weapon she was raised to be. Even now, she knew that she couldn't hide nor run from what she was, but that was just one side of her. Anui had shown her a side she never knew it existed. Love, embarrassment, pleasure...

"I felt you melt." he said, gently kissing her chest. His words immediately made Lila remember about what happened a while ago. The burning desire and lust, the pleasure, how uninhibited she was and how she 'melt' with every touch. Letting her instincts act for her. She didn't regret even one bit what she did and she would certainly do it again, but it was too embarrassing thinking about that. The conflict of emotions on her mind, the two sides of her self clashing with one another... It would take some time for her to get accustomed with that.

"Silly..." Lila said, burying her face, red with embarrassment, on his chest.

"That beast... that cold blade... They're not for you..." Lila whispered after a while, raising her face and looking Anui in the eyes.
"When I'm with you, I'm not a weapon, an assassin or a beast. When I'm with you I'm a woman. Your woman." Lila said, looking to his eyes.

But before Anui or herself could say anything more, a sound came from upstairs. A female voice spiraling through the stairs, breaking the peaceful silence in the cave. It was almost like the roar of a raging beast...
"WHERE IS MY SON!?" Looking to Anui, Lila got even more confused when she heard him saying the word 'mother' as he looked to the ceiling.

Lila hugged him tightly, looking to him almost if searching for an answer, searching for any hint of what she had to do at that situation. She didn't have a 'mother' per se. She didn't know how to react when she met Anui's mother. She only knew one thing, she didn't want Anui to leave her

Sophia

^{@Rai @13org}

Sophia's eyes were like daggers, silently stabbing Sleeth as she observed his little 'show'. They were facing an enemy that was a threat to every single descended and he was thinking only about himself? But luckily enough, Vrondi knew how to deal with the situation and the Nero seer wasn't as selfish as Sleeth himself.

As the vision began, Sophia watched the green fields plunged into chaos. Even though it happened long before she was born, she somehow felt like she had already seen that before, it was strange... Memories about those events deep within her mind... They felt like they were hers but at the same time, they felt like they were someone, or something, else... Chaos and death were everywhere. Angelic beings, knights, giants, orcs, goblins and even other dragons... Every single one of the races of old, which most had long vanished joining their forces in an army to fight the tyranny of the dragon god.

"What it would have happened if any of the parties held the power of the Grimoire Verum at that time... What it would have happened if it wasn't sealed...?" Sophia thought to herself, almost shivering to that thought. Things could have become much worse...

Sophia had a complicated expression on her face. Even though she was fundamentally different from other dragons, both in the way she thought and saw the world, she was still a dragon. Seeing dragon blood being spilled like that was still... sad. As sad as it was to see how many sentient beings from other races died in that war.

Amongst all the chaos, two figures stood out. A dragon rider with silver wings and black armor. The dragon he rode was pinning down another dragon. Their conversation, albeit brief, carried a lot of knowledge and meaning. In the eyes of the dragon God's followers, traitors. In the eyes of the other races, allies... Ones, fighting to maintain the old ways, the other side, fighting for change.

Time passed as bodies piled up on the battlefield, only a few dragons and some of the angelic beings. Between them, two auras stood out. Like polar opposites, light and darkness, these auras outshined every single one of the others. Even though it was only a vision, those auras felt almost like it was real. The dark one was coming from a whirling mass of black fire in a silhouette of a huge dragon. The other one, the light aura came from a figure made of light. In front of such massive dragon, that figure felt so small... So insignificant, yet it's aura was frighteningly powerful.

Sophia's eyes didn't even blink as she watched the events unfolding before her. The bright light cutting through the massive dragon, the cataclysmic events that unfolded after the dragon was struck, the crystal egg soon afterwards and the birth of new kingdoms, a new beginning after the end.

"Not killed, but merely sealed...? A sealing or binding spell maybe...?" she said to herself.
"As a part of the fundamental cycle, it cannot be destroyed. Without darkness, there is no light." Sophia said, lost in her own thoughts.

After the illusion ended, Sophia saw Ilia, the seer, exhausted. That illusion was probably very taxing to the seer. As she walked off the table to stand near her, Sophia looked to the young seer.

"You have a powerful gift, Ilia. But I need to remind you that there are some things that are best to be forgotten by the world. Be careful about what you show others, or what you see yourself." Sophia said with a very serious expression as the seer approached her. Sophia didn't want to sound intimidating or mean, but that was a warning she felt like she should give. But was she being too harsh on the seer? She was exhausted after all...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound mean. You did well, Ilia. I know it was very exhaustive... Rest now." Sophia said after a brief while, her serious expression turning into a kind smile.

As King Vrondi asked the table about their interpretations, Sophia looked around, waiting to hear their answers.

---

"The wine spoiled as soon as it entered this room," Dremmick replied to Garret as he followed him into the hall with the others. He didn't talk much, though he was perplexed a little by the statement made about minty candies on the pillows. Was that actually a thing? He continued until he was directed into one of the rooms, which all seemed to be connected by a large patio overlooking the town.He looked around the room and it was lavishly decorated from wall to wall with fine furniture and all the amenities someone would need while staying as a guest. He closed the door behind him and made his way to the patio, opening a glass door to access it. He took a deep breath of the fresh air as he gazed out. It was a wonderful view from up here. Dremmick could see the lights on the street as people milled about. The Fireworks were a much more attractive and vibrant display now, as the evening sky was only barely lit by a sun that had already fallen over the horizon. It nearly had Dremmick forget about his worries for a moment. He honestly wished that he could one day find a place with a view like this and not have to worry about the things that seemed to follow him.

He reached behind himself and pulled out a small notepad and charcoal pencil, and flipping to a blank page he made a quick sketch of what he could see. When he finished he closed the notepad, storing it again and returned to his room. He had thought about taking a bath but he put the thought away. Better to do that after everyone was asleep. He did take off the leather arm guards and chest piece, leaving him with just the sleeveless white shirt, suspenders, and bandages wrapped on his right arm and right side of his body. He let his hood and muffler down and laid back on the bed. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, he tried not to fall right to sleep, but after what he has been through, it seemed to come for him within minutes.

While he slept, Dremmick's mind drifted off. He was in a town square somewhere off the Fotian border, drawing in his notepad and messing with a newly bought ring between his fingers. He looked up and saw a girl headed his way and quickly pocketed the ring while still making it look like he was drawing. The girl was a tad shorter than him with long black hair and bright blue eyes, branching horns on the side of her head, and dark blue wings tucked gently behind her. “Dremmick! I thought I would find you out here. What are you up to?” Dremmick looked surprised to see her, as if he had just gained control of his body. “Ciara? I...I'm just drawing the square, I found it interesting. H-how are you-” he stammered, shocked as he hadn't seen her in years, though he felt like he was just with here a few hours ago. She took his hand, “C'mon, if we don't leave now we'll be late for the mission,” she said with a smile.

A mission...wait...this is familiar....no, this is all wrong. He had to stop this. “Ciara, wait. I'm not sure about this.” Ciara let go of his hand. “Come on, this way.” she called as she turned the corner. As he turned the corner into an alley, everything changed. It seemed as if he was in a small cave now, though he didn't realize it until he finished squeezing through the narrow path. When he looked around, the only light were torches carried by himself, which he didn't remember grabbing, and the others in a group that was with him all the sudden. He started exploring the cave with them, as if everything was normal. Most the rest of the group moved on, including Caira, which he barely made out in the dim light. Somebody called Dremmick over somewhere else, but he didn't quite make it out, he just felt it. “Malcolm, do you see anything?” Dremmick called. A young man in leather armor and messily cropped hair turned around. "Yeah right down there," he said casually pointing down a hole. When Dremmick peered down, he noticed a number of dead bodies, including the girl's. “CIARA!” Dremmick yelled. He turned to look for Malcolm but he wasn't there anymore. Instead, Ciana was standing in the middle of the room, barely visible by Dremmick's lone torch with her back to him, her wings low and dragging on the floor. “Ciara...,” he started quietly. “Are you.... alright?” He got closer, hearing a voice chanting somewhere else in the darkness, a raspy hateful voice. “Let's get out of here, it isn't safe...Ciara...please.” he reached out to touch her shoulder, but she suddenly and unaturally jerked around to face him, her once blue eyes now black with red dots in the middle and an eerie smile. “YOUR SOUL IS MINE!” she screeched as a huge snake jumped from the darkness in front of her.

“CIARA!!!” Dremmick yelled out again, arm punching forward, producing a huge barbed crimson blade out in front of him destroying the dresser at the other end of the room. Dremmick was in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. It was....a nightmare. Dremmick swore bitterly as he withdrew the large wicked blade back into his arm. He got up and walked to his pack, pulling out the bandages to start wrapping his arm again. He noted that he would need to buy more soon. He looked back out through the window at the festival still going on, sure it wouldn't stop through the night. He envied those people. He only wished that he could have lead at least somewhat of a normal life. The people who wish for adventure never really think about the problems that the adventurer has endured that puts them on that path. Dremmick would trade every hardship he faced to be so carefree.

It seemed that only a short period of time has passed since he fell asleep, so Dremmick went out on the patio to get some fresh air, leaning against the rail and watching the explosion of lights in the town below.