Fantasy [PRIVATE] El Stories - Wars of the past

[Late]

Aria​

Aria stares dully at the cuffs binding her hands together and the chain attached to them. Sol was at the other end of the chain, having the metal attached to his gauntlet. Demons around her gave a strange look as Sol was waiting for the portal to the demon realm to open up. He and the other demon were exchanging words back and forth but the only thing that Aria cares about is whether or not she would be able to shower after this. She felt like her clothes were full of dirt, and her hair was just a thick mess. Aria wouldn’t be surprised if the demons assumed she was a barbarian of some kind.


That would be an interesting story to tell if there was ever a chance. The preparations for departure to the demon realm happened quickly. Reluctantly, Aria ate the food they offered and regained some of her strength. If she is going to be stuck here, deep in the enemy’s territory, she might as well start a new life once again. However, the thought of leaving her friends behind does hurt her, especially knowing she won’t see Fujin or Kili again. And Lucius too, to think she was starting to-

Her thoughts were interrupted when the chain was pulling her along. She didn’t even notice they walked through the portal and Aria blinked a couple of times once stepping into the new realm. After seeing the sky, the environment, and a strange sensation crawling up on her back, she knew she was in the demon realm. It was kinda what she expected minus the fact that Aria realized they were in a deserted area. The portal behind them closed and Aria cast a confused stare at her babysitter. Sol wore a black cloak with his hood up, casting a shadow over his face but his glowing eyes were easy to spot.

Eventually, a question bubbled up in Aria’s throat. “Where are we?” She croaked, clearing her throat a couple of times.

“...Home,” Sol answered bluntly.

Aria took another look around again, frowning as it was very much deserted and in ruins. Buildings were crumbled down, debris was everywhere, not a single sign of life to be seen. Hell, she could spot a skeleton under a shredded banner. It took her a moment to realize, however, that they were standing in front of a massive castle and before it was many destroyed homes. She took a careful step forward as Sol continues to be silent. Aria could already imagine what the place would’ve looked like before and she took in a shaky breath.

“Why are we here?” Aria asked, biting her tongue when she noticed how loud she was despite the fact she was using her indoor voice.

“To show you that your kind isn’t the only one who lost many,” Sol sighed, starting to walk down the long set of stairs, tugging Aria along.

“Really now? Kids are slaughtered, homes are destroyed, women are raped, and men turn to slaves? No offense, but I am having a hard time believing you on that one,” Aria huffed forcefully.

“Heh, so you think all demons live together with the same goals in mind?” Sol asked her.

“...kinda, yeah.”

Aria slightly jumped when Infernal walked by her, completely forgetting the wolf was around.

“There are all kinds of races who live under the same moon, human. And long ago, we saw the same moon as the humans do,” Sol huffed. “Change split us apart eventually. Though, I suppose there is a saying about two sides of the same coin?”

“Man, that accent is really hard to get through,” Aria mumbled, having a troubling time trying to understand the soldier. “What even happened here?”

“A fall of a kingdom. Cecidit Stella is what we call it.” Sol took a pause for a moment. “By we, meaning me and the two others.”

“Two others...oh, those dipshits who fucked me over?” Aria recalled the two unique demons, frowning at nothing. Sol gave her an amused stare. “I guess there is a lot more I don’t know about you demons…well, if there are so many different kinds of you guys, then what are you?”

“Fire.”

“Fire…” Aria repeated to herself.

“You could say my people were among the first to be created long ago when there was no division. When there were no stars in the sky,” Sol explained. “We...were a lot different back then.”

“I bet. Let me guess, your ancestors were just an element, eh?”

“Hmm...ellie...ment...what is that?” Sol questioned.

“...seriously?”

Despite the fact she was a prisoner, Aria couldn’t help but feel curious about Sol or demons in general. Well, she might as well be curious if she is going to actually join Xiopetec’s cult and such. Not to mention that Aria felt like Sol’s home could be a wonder to explore around if it wasn’t in such ruins.
There was a lot of interesting architecture going on around the kingdom. However, Sol didn’t share too much about what happened. After trying to explain what an element is to Sol, the soldier shook his head at her and kept walking with rather stern eyes. Aria wasn’t sure if she offended him in some way but once they reached what supposed to be a gate, there were a couple of demons standing by at the entrance.

They exchanged a few words with Sol, there is a carriage close by with some kind of creature tied to it. Aria noticed one of them giving her a strange look and simply started to glare at them. Before she could try to scare them off with words, Sol held out his hand as if he knew what she was planning to do.

“Our ride,” Sol mumbled to her, gesturing at the carriage.

“This better not be a long journey,” Aria growled, following Sol to the carriage.

Hours later, and with a growling stomach, both of them got out of the carriage into a different area. Before them was the church of Xiopetec and Aria suddenly felt nervous about this. However, Sol simply nudged her forward.

“Your new home,” Sol chuckled, a strange glint in his eyes. “...if they accept you, of course.”

“I hope you are aware that you can be an asshole,” Aria huffed, taking an uneasy step forward.

“Just don’t forget what I ask of you.”

Together, they walked up to the church and Sol was the one who knocked on the door. Aria winced slightly as he doesn’t seem to have a gentle touch and was practically banging on the door with his gauntlet. After that, the two, or rather three, stand by for the door to open up. Aria still keeps forgetting about Infernal, who was sitting right next to her. She could easily feel the heat radiating out of the mutt.

Phant0m

 

[MementoDei]

Kuvira​

Kuvira passed days and nights by Ulysses's side, content to simply be his bodyguard in exchange of the blue orbs that quenched his thirst. There was not much for him to do in the camp, either way. The nearby city was a mess of burnt debris and ashes other demons were clearing up. Considering he could carry two fully-armoured glitters, Kuvira did not quite understand why his king did not wish him to help his allies at all. However, he had noticed king Ulysses sometimes hesitated to call his name. Sometimes, he mouthed a 'da' before shaking his head and correcting himself. Naturally, it was misplaced for a servant to question his king, but when his king was this young...he probably needed someone other than Serge- that sadistic man- to get some advice from.

At dusk, one week after his awakening, he peeked into the tent of the king, watching him flip through the pages of an old grimoire, ink, quill and parchments to his right. Kuvira's king closed the old book and began writing, word by word, what had been on the grimoire. It was impressive, he thought, for anyone to be blessed with such incredible memory. And yet, he wondered if it was because of that same incredible memory that his king hesitated to call him by his name. The mark of power over Ulysses's neck glowed, the young king frowned and dropped his study where it was. He glanced at him and Kuvira simply stepped in, thinking it was already too late to just continue to look from behind the curtains.

"You've been watching all this time? It must've been boring."

"Not at all, my king. I'm impressed by your memory."

The teen scoffed, "Oh, please. This isn't even-"

His smile vanished, the young king cleared his throat and got up from his chair, "It's only something I'm good at, Kuvira."

Once again, Ulysses's lilac gaze was lost in the horizon, not quite at the edge of tears, but always joyless. Almost as lifeless as those of the victims of his necromancy practices.

"King Ulysses, are you alright?"

The king blinked a couple of times, the light of life returning to his eyes. He nodded absentmindedly and got out, taking a deep breath of the chilly evening. Ulysses looked at him and asked him if he would like to keep him company for a while.

"I'm always honoured to be by your side, my king."

"Drop that."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow at the way his king had hissed his answer, "Shall I stay here, then?"

"No. Drop the king act."

"But you are my King. How else would I call you?"

The young monarch's frown only grew deeper for a second before he sighed, "You're right. There's no other proper way for you to address me."

Ulysses began to walk away into the forests, followed by the corrupted spirits he had befriended and Kuvira picked up his angered, fast pace.

"Are you sure you are feeling alright, my king?"

"I'm just tired, Kuvira. Tired of trying to cling onto past knowledge that never brought me anything but frustration, in the end."

****
Darhan
​

He was back on the piano, playing a wordless elegy despite the burning pain that the stitches over his wrists brought with them at each note. He still felt light-headed from time to time, having lost so much blood in his third attempt to go back to Alma and apologize to her. But Adelaide had found him, like she always had done. That human woman seemed to have been sent by the Great Evil itself to keep him living a life he no longer wanted. But, even so, Darhan had to admit that there were some days like this. Days where he was feeling better, a little more at peace with himself. Days where he could almost tell himself he could not blame himself so harshly.

But days like this were rare. Just when he managed to feel anger towards the demons, the ones who had really destroyed everything, the memory of Alma came back to haunt him. That was too big of a mistake and he had really no one to blame for it but himself. Some days, her memory was so overwhelming he could almost swear the smell of her blood was still on him. Other days, days when he felt better, he sometimes thought that his life now was nothing but another one of his half-waking dreams. He half-expected that the moment he closed his eyes, he would feel again his wrists tied, his eyes bandaged and the guttural laughter of demons.

But, so far, if this was a dream, he had not waken up from it. Maybe this was death. It made sense to him. It explained why he never felt hungry nor thirsty anymore, why Adelaide magically knew when he was trying to end his life. Two soft knocks at the door made him stop his lonely concerto. He got up and walked to open the door. It was Adelaide, holding a tray with two bowls of soup and a slice of bread to the side.

She offered him a reassuring smile, "Thought you might be hungry by now."

He let her in and put everything on the small table behind the instrument, "I think this is the fourth time I told you I don't need to eat."

She sat down and took her bowl of soup and a spoon, "I know. But you always end up eating. Even if it's cold."

Darhan rolled his eyes with a sigh and sat in front of her, grabbing the remaining bowl and spoon, "That's because I'm not rude."

Adelaide shook her head with a sad smile before she took another spoonful, "I still don't understand why you insist on saying you're already dead."

He shrugged, "Because the only reasons I had for living are over. And there's no chance I would have made it out alive, on my own, here. The demons wouldn't have let me. Explains why you also magically sense when I'm trying to end my time in...well, what you humans would call Purgatory. "

"Darhan, I might have lived only a fraction of your lifetime, but there are more down-to-earth reasons why I know when you're thinking on killing yourself."

They continued to eat in silence and, once Adelaide finished, she looked at him with the same sadness in her eyes than Alma when she had agreed to stay in the tower that was supposed to protect her.

"If you think this is purgatory, Darhan, then you have a chance to go to a peaceful rest. If only you try to separate yourself from whatever suffering is breaking you apart."

Darhan turned away from her, "Don't look at me like that."

"Hm?"

"I should have left already."

"What? Why?"

He did not have the heart to tell her that she sometimes was the cure and poison to his peace of mind.

****
Serge Debussy
​

The elven assassin watched from the shadows the comings and goings from a tiny village mid-way to Feita. One house in particular had caught his attention because of the melodies that sometimes reached out to the forests from the second floor's window. They were unmistakably elven songs played with a human instrument of some kind. He did not care for the human girl he had seen coming and going, but the other person who was undoubtedly living there.

Ran and Stirbargen were interested in any elven survivors they could use as faithful soldiers. And Serge had a gut feeling that the elf hidden here - if it was indeed a pure elf and not a mixed-blood - would be an excellent pawn for their future battles. He hoped it was that elven warrior he had broken down into submission. That would make him his first real pet to keep, as Ran would refuse to keep him in their camp. The work they had put into Yullr would go to waste if the two ever reunited. Stirbargen had other plans for Serge and, from what he had heard, it involved everything he loved: torture, battle and pets he could keep to do what he pleased.

The window of the second room was left open and the voices of the two people in the house traveled to his ears.

"I think this is the fourth time I tell you I don't need to eat."

Serge grinned and had to stop himself from chuckling at his victory. Oh, he had hit the jackpot once more. He leapt away from his watching spot, playing already with the daggers he would use to tear the girl to shreds and remind the pitiful guardian that, as long as he lived, he would never be free. Every elf that met a demon learnt that lesson, whether they were in Elrios or the demon realm.

He would make sure that the spearman who had once been Yullr's friend got that lesson loud and clear.

 

[Phant0m]

"I don't need you hovering," Loreley huffed as she gripped her new walking stick tightly, sensing her goddess fluttering about behind her.

"Mana wasn't your specialty," Xiopetec explained as she flitted about with her hands, struggling with the urge to not steady her priestess as she took hesitant steps with her walking step to guide her and being her conduit for making a mana circuit to navigate. Bandages covered her eyes, lightly stained with blood. It might be due for a change tonight. "I'm just making sure you don't fall and hurt your eyes further. And to not embarass yourself."

Loreley sighed as she stopped and turned to where her goddess is, though she wasn't facing her goddess perfectly. If it wasn't obvious that she no longer had sight, the other followers would assume that the priestess was oggling their goddess's assets. "I'm going to get there. You're skewing my progress because your mana is like a bright beacon consuming everything, and it's spread across your church because of the faith."

Xiopetec gently lifted Loreley's chin and she kissed her temple. "I have faith in you, Loreley. Now-"

Loud banging interuppted the conversation. A priest dressed in a deep green leather armor with a fuschia snake insigna pinned to his heart approached the pair.

"Goddess Mother-"

Xiopetec raised her hand. "I heard, stay with her. I'll handle this myself."

The priest nodded and he stood out of his goddess's way as she stormed to the door, muttering under her breath curses.

The others in the Church cleared the goddess's path, some caressing their weapons or cracking knuckles and readying to cast spells. Xiopetec flicked her tongue before yanking the door open.

"How dare you," She hissed before she looked at the trio, glaring at the mutt with disdain before resting her eyes on the chained human. Xiopetec quickly approached the human, resting her hands on her shoulders. "Oh child," Xiopetec said before glaring at the male holding the chains and she assumed a protective stance in front of the human girl, "Explain yourself."

Late

 

[MementoDei]

Serge Debussy​

Upon his return and subsequent report to Ran, he expected to have permission to keep the toy he had barely had the time to really enjoy back in that cavern with the healing water. He had said everything he needed to so Ran believed the new toy was going to simply be a soldier. Instead, the demon commander shook his head with a sigh.

"I know what you really want him for. Which surprises me considering his reaction to Kars."

Serge shrugged, "He can't hurt more than Stirbargen. And I know how to take good care of pets."

His superior raised an eyebrow at him, "That ex-prisoner blew Kars's head right off with one fist. Are you suicidal?"

The elf assassin chuckled, combing his hair back his burnt ear momentarily with his hands. For those who knew him, it was the sign that he had gotten angry. Angry enough for anyone in front of him to be silenced with a dagger to the throat. While Debussy was known as Stirbargen's Mad Dog, he was not as reckless as to try anything funny with Ran. Shadow Magic was the weak point of assassins unless they had mastered it. As an elf, Serge could not even dream of ever acquiring such power.

"Suicidal? I'm just bored BEYOND MY MIND, RAN!"

In a flash, Serge's nimble fingers unsheathed one of his daggers, impaling them firmly on the stone desk of his superior, staring at him coldly as his thunderous voice became a murmur, "You think I'm having fun playing family with that puppet king of yours?"

"You already told him to create Kuvira for that, didn't you?"

"Yes," he hissed, clenching his teeth, "And it isn't working. That brat is looking for me like some lost hound pup. And the mages you brought are not strong enough to keep the civilians as proper dolls. I know they are all gonna go in your army eventually, and that'll be a blast. But in the meantime, I'm growing out of materials to keep myself from killing your pawn to end my boredom. So, you got a choice."

Ran smirked, "No, I actually got two. Go speak to the snake priest. See if he's interested in a new cultist."

The elf glared at him, moving his daggers along the stone with such strength that the demonic metal sent sparks along the rock they were cleaving with a deep X, "Hey, hey hey, Cap. You must be insane. I'm the one who found him and you're gonna give my efforts up to some moody priest?"

"That priest is Stirbargen's protegé. If he refuses your kind offering, then I report just that. Go and do what you please, and I'll have to tell him the first ear wasn't enough for you to understand."

Serge scoffed, taking his daggers back as swiftly as he had taken them out, "If it was an order from my master, then say so, Cap. He doesn't care about the little king, does he?"

Ran frowned at him, "Debussy, you can't just-"

"I might be a slave, but in Stirbargen's eyes, I'm way above you. I get to play with your things too. So, answer me."

The demon in human skin clenched his teeth as he answered, "No, he does not."

The elf gave him a wide grin, clapping his hands once as he began to head out, "Then, that's all I need to give out the results of my scouting to someone else."

Serge walked to the outskirts of the camp, where Zephyr had been resting for the past couple of weeks, sometimes contacting some other cultists, other times doing whatever priests did. Serge did not care as long as the priest was not heading out too much. He had most likely a target on his back already, if anyone else had put the pieces together. The elf opened the curtains of the tent and gave a nonchalant nod to the priest.

"Hey, snake man. Would you like me to show you a quality asset for your cult? It's an elven warrior. If you're worried, I can teach you how to tame him but you gotta agree to see him first. Considering how your travel went last time, Stirbargen doesn't want ya doing any pointless travels."

Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Zephyr gave a low hiss. "Last time when the 'High Priestess' was going to stab me but instead cried for her goddess?" He asked as he slowly uncoiled in the middle of his prayer circle, snuffing out candles, "Fine, Debussy, I'll see the warrior."

Once he snuffed out the last candle, he whipped his tail to break the circle drawn on the ground before making his way towards the tent entrance, gesturing "after you" to Serge. "Although if we were to talk about assets, you would make quite an asset to the cult." He chuckled.

MementoDei

 

[Late]

Aria
​

The goddess’s actions took Aria by surprise. Hell, being touched by the shoulders made her flinch in reaction and she might as well appear sensitive. She expected something rather different but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t a bit grateful. Infernal next to her got up from his haunches and stalk around them for a moment, looking annoyed with a low growl emitting.

“At ease, Goddess Xiopetec. I’m not here to pick fights with you,” Sol rumbled, folding his arms. “I just happened to find someone who is lost and needs some guidance. A human from Elrios. From the looks of it, you have heard her voice before.”

Aria was quiet, shifting gazes between Xiopetec and Sol. Eventually, she focuses on her chains as she really couldn’t find any words to say.

“Take it as an apology from me. I believe we ran into one of your followers before and my superior may have gotten a bit too far to blind them out. As a soldier I am, I have no right to stop any further damages. It brings me guilt, however, best to say that I might have finished their job by bringing this young one to you. I know our past doesn't see eye to eye with each other but with current situations, maybe it would be best to move forward with the best intentions,” Sol said, smiling lightly.

‘Now I wonder...does Sol have something against Xiopetec?’ Aria thought to herself, frowning slightly as she could not really understand the demonic language. Before Xiopetec, Sol, or even Infernal could say anything, she gave a tug on her chains. “Ey, at least get me off of these if you’re done tugging me around,” Aria huffed.

Phant0m

Lucius
​

It was hard for everyone to move through the sand. There was not much help that Lucius and Kili could offer to make their travels go by easier. Not to mention that Ivy was getting the worst of it as the sun beat her down. She holds a scowl on her face, grunting in response whenever Kili tries to make a conversation with her. Lucius couldn’t blame her for feeling this irritated. At the very least, Fujin is trying to blow in gentle cold winds to keep everyone cool.

The wind dragon was still depressed for losing his rider and his mood hasn’t improved at all. It came to a point that Cornelius was starting to feel the heavyweight of vibe and often would stay close to Lucius. Like cuddling close. Not that Lucius mind, but it often slows them down.

After what seems to be like hours, Kili finally stopped the group for a break. The man walks to Lucius with Ivy following behind. The dragon’s scales were starting to lighten up from the amount of sunlight she was getting, and few scales appear to be dry.

“I believe we are close to Sander. I don’t think we could afford to keep going without giving these people a big rest. Not to mention that prey is getting scarce,” Kili sighed.

“Doesn’t help that there was barely any before,” Lucius grumbled. “Maybe those demons who have been following us are trying to drive us to hunger.”

“It's likely but we can’t risk another combat with them. We...already lost a rider because of it,” Kili mumbled. “...well, let’s see if they can let us rest for at least a couple of hours. I’ll go ahead to speak to the head chief with Ivy. I trust you can keep these people safe for a while with Cornelius and Fujin.”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” Lucius said with a nod. “It...can’t be too hard.”

Nixon
​

“Hey, dude, one of the riders left.”

Nixon wearily looks up at Morzen who just returned back from scouting in the desert. He was repairing his equipment with little supplies they have on them but it was best to say that he was close to finishing. However, it was too soon for him to jump into a battle. Nixon narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“A rider left with their dragon?” Nixon questioned. Morzen rolled his eyes and Nixon sighed. “That leaves us with one other rider and two dragons…”

“From what I was told, they are tired from the journey. Their morale is likely low after losing a rider,” Morzen mumbled, scratching his chin. “Soooo, maybe it is a good idea to do something now.”

“I can’t risk my equipment being broken again…” Nixon said as he picked up a single broken part. “Especially when I’m close to being done here…say, how are you holding up?”

“I wasn’t able to do much before...I am practically itching to do some damage,” Morzen chuckled with a large grin.

Nixon slowly nods his head. “Right, of course. In that case...it couldn’t hurt to start a panic. Morzen, you’re smart enough to know what to do and what to not do,” Nixon said to him.

“Yeah, yeah, I got this,” the cousin grumbled, stretching out his arms and legs before taking his leave.

Nixon frowned to himself and as Morzen was gone, he took a moment to stop working and take out an amulet. He opened the small latch to stare at the two pictures and began to talk absently to himself.

“Should I go and make sure he won’t be an idiot?”

 

[MementoDei]

Serge Debussy​

He scoffed at the priest's proposal as he guided him to the special camp he had created for the deserters he had captured, "Ha! Put too many chains over someone like me and you'll end up with one very dead master. And it ain't gonna be Stirbargen."

The camp of the deserters looked more like a slave market, glitter and other demonic warriors bound by chains and magic to their cells. Among them were the four assassins who were supposed to have the mages' backs if the situation got out of their control. Serge enchanted one of his daggers and threw it like a boomerang, rattling the bars of the cages of his former subordinates. The sound was so deafening for them they darted up, awake and already taking a defensive stance. Until they saw who had woken them up. The five imprisoned demons took a step back, fearing if they would be sentenced. Their commander had brought one of Xiopetec's priests,leaving them little to no comfort in knowing how their lives would end.

"Hey, guys. You had one job back there. So, don't look me like scared puppies because you absolutely deserve a chance at redeeming yourselves."

The elf glanced at a prisoner behind him, who was trying to reach out for the keys hanging from his belt and, in the blink of an eye, a dagger went flying straight to the demon's skull. Serge clicked his tongue at the bloody corpse that crumbled on the cell's floor, "Welp, guess he's going into the new army sooner than you guys."

Serge took his keys, making the ring that held them turn around his finger as he got closer to the cells his men were in, a crooked grin across his face, "You guys are lucky to have lived for this long after fleeing like cowards."

One of the assassins scoffed at him, "You didn't see how that elf turned to mincemeat trained mages. If we stayed, we would have been dead too."

"Guys, death doesn't mean a loss for anyone anymore. Not with Ran's new toy nearby. That said, you either follow me for a last mission or I promise I'll leave you worse off than the mages you left to die."

The demon soldiers gulped, glancing at one another nervously before agreeing reluctantly to their superior's orders.

****
Adelaide Asini
​

No one in the village saw with a good eye the fact she was helping Darhan. Not even her own family. Still, not even the casual insults or rumours that ran about her supposedly "immoral affair" with the elf deterred her from helping him recover. She was not in love with him, but the image of him when he had come to her home had not quite left her. The way he spoke in elven at that moment was completely different from the cold and distanced way he spoke to them and his brother. She did not know what he was saying back then, but it seemed to her that the hunger and thirst had made him believe he was reuniting with someone he loved deeply. Someone who, perhaps, was no longer there for him. It surprised her to know he had somehow learnt to speak proper Elrian, albeit with a strong accent, from the time he had been away from the village. Yet, she knew it was not the right time to even try to get him to talk about what had truly happened to him. Maybe it would never be the right time during her lifetime.

It was heartbreaking to see anyone like that, elf or not. It was a state she of mind was all but too familiar with.

As she returned from the market with a piece of cheese, Adelaide glanced at the hidden door that lead to the underground food storage. She had hidden Darhan's surprisingly heavy weapon there, thinking he should not think about battle until he was back on his feet, but what did she really know about him? Maybe, even if he was a talented pianist, Darhan needed to go to battle. She sighed and decided to take a small risk after fixing some breakfast for the two of them. As she was getting done, she was surprised to see him sit down on the dining table, his golden eyes just a tad less dark than before. She noticed he had cut his bangs and part of his hair back to shoulder length. It was the first time he used scissors for anything other than self-harm.

"Good morning, Darhan," she said, putting the wildberries she washed on two bowls, "Nice to see you up this early."

"I'm always up at this hour. I just train alone until mid-day."

"Oh, since when?"

The elf nodded to thank her as she put one of the bowls in front of him, "A couple of days ago, I retook the habit. My hair was getting in the way, so I had to borrow your scissors. I didn't want to wake you up just to ask, so well, I took them."

She smiled, "Ah, no problem. I'm happy you used them for something better than weakening yourself. Your eyes are really pretty to be hidden away anyhow."

"Uhm..."

Adelaide noticed he frowned at the comment, putting his bowl of fruit slightly away.

"What?"

"You...shouldn't say things like that."

The blonde woman rolled her eyes, "It's just a compliment, Darhan. Don't elves compliment their friends too?"

He shook his head, "Only couples tend to do that."

"Oh. Sorry then."

The rest of the meal passed more or less in silence, until Darhan finally informed her of his decision to go away. She had no high ground to stop him, but she still asked him if he was really feeling good enough to go. At first, he thought she was referring to his physical health, but it only took one more question to get him to realize she was talking about his emotional well-being. She lamented he did not quite give her an answer, but it was not her place to force him to stay.

"You'll need to help me get your weapon out, then." she said, getting up from the table and opening the trap door leading to where she had hidden away his weapon. She heard broken glass and before she knew it, Darhan had pushed her to the ground as a hail of arrows flew through the window, tearing it to shreds. A group of deformed, lizard-like monsters knocked her door down, knives on their hands, speaking in a language that was neither the elven she had heard nor any other dialect in Elrian. Darhan looked at her, perhaps hurt or disgusted, but he told her to stay behind him. She did not make herself beg, taking the chance to reach out for a hidden Nasod pistol she had a step to her right. But the demons seemed to be mages as one of them appeared right behind her, yelling something so hateful in its language that she could not take for anything else than a menace. The feel of steel next to her throat killed any little fighting spirit she had.

But what made her truly afraid was that Darhan's eyes were immediately consumed by despair once more. It was as if any progress he had made until this very day was completely gone.

The knife began to draw blood and Darhan's spear flew right into his hands.

A flash of magic followed a gust of wind before unveiling a true elven warrior: Armoured in their enchanted full-plate steel, magic growing all around her, so strong that even she, who had not been trained as a mage, could feel Darhan's overwhelming strength oozing out from both his spear and the defense he was now donning. And yet, that did not reassure her in the slightest. The power ran wild like a rabid dog, overwhelming the armed monsters with a cruel ease. In less than two hits, every monster but the one who was threatening her was dead. She felt the grip around her loosen and the monster back out, its voice now filled with fear. Darhan, if it was still him, still came decisively towards him, spinning his weapon in his hands before throwing it like a harpoon at the fleeing demon. The spear cut through the monster's chest plate as if he wasn't wearing anything at all. The monster fell like a rag doll on the floor and, somehow, the spear itself was dragging back the corpse back to Darhan.

In a macabre silence, he began to stab the dead demon, specifically over where a man's liver would usually be, One. Two. Three stabs. The puddle of blood grew all over the floor.

"Stop," she heard herself mumble, her eyes itching to the prelude of panicked tears.

Darhan turned around, stopping what would have been the fourth stab, "My wielder cares about you. This kind of scum has killed people like you. Why should I stop giving this demon what it deserves?"

"It's already dead!" she screeched, the trauma of the battle crushing her completely. She was heading to Feita to avoid to see anything like this. She, too, should have left this village earlier.

The armoured elf looked to the side staying quiet for a long second, leaving her to cry before his helmet vanished. Adelaide was not completely reassured to see his face again. Still, she welcomed his concern when he put her hand over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. My weapon...no, I have grown too weak-spirited to wield my weapon properly."

"...Enough, I just want to go back to Feita."

"The path isn't safe, Adelaide. Do you mind if-"

A stone whistled through the air, knocking Darhan out over her lap. She stopped crying to see another dark elf and some sort of snake-man monster calmly step into the chaos. They spoke in the same way as the dead men all around them, calmer, but that was terrifying coming from the dark elf. His crimson eyes reflected a madness that froze her with fear. No matter what, she did not dare to breathe in front of those two. The dark elf smiled at her as he got out a pair of handcuffs and kicked Darhan's spear out of his reach. He crouched to put the bindings around Darhan's wrists and chuckled at her.

"Human girl. Scared?"

Adelaide did not dare to answer, just following with her eyes the way the other man dragged Darhan away to the fields behind her home, where a cage was waiting right open. The crimson-eyed elf yanked her head back.

"Hey, I did ask question. Answer. I."

She trembled and weakly nodded. The mad elf chuckled even louder. "Good, good. Fear is Obedience. You will go. But to me. Not snake person."

Just like Darhan, she was chained. The crimson eyed elf dragged her like some slave through the forests, joking and talking loudly with the snake man who held the reins of a strange, wingless dragon that dragged Darhan's cage. The demons had not hesitated to attack her in broad daylight and she lived the furthest away from everyone else. What happened to everyone else? How was the world going to stop such people if there was only one soldier like Darhan? The events that followed would remain clearly engraved in her memories until the end of her life. Her children and grand-children would know of it, but from then on, her lineage would forget the events of that day and those who followed until the birth of her first child: Dyrus Asini, known as The Mixed-blood Conqueror before he reformed the historical records to rename himself Dyrus the Braveheart.

****
Amaranthia Irisse
​

The caravan of camels was slowed down by a strong storm, but she still kept in contact with both her brother and the Sanderian Khalife, where Al-Sayyid Ali had decided to stay, like the cowardly leader he was. Had her father still been alive, he would have convinced him to go and show the proof of his good will to the Caluso tribes, but it looked like even if she could easily win against his heir, Sander's Sayyid did not take her words as more than "a woman's advice".

They were resting in the nest the Garpai Caluso had built on the nearby canyons when most of them transformed into harpies. Their leader, a warrior named Kelaino, welcomed them in her shelter. Amaranthia could not help but think it was a shame such a like-minded woman was cursed to remain half-way between a human and a beast. She would have been a great help into rallying the rest of the Calusan tribes faster in the face of the new war at their doors.

The El Device she carried began to shine. Raicaeth, her brother, was trying to contact her. With a simple muttered spell, she answered.

"What's new under the sand, brother?"

"Incoming caravan of Dragon riders. From the looks of things, I bet they came from somewhere near our home. Unless they took a big detour from Ruben."

The elven girl widened her eyes, "What in Yggdrasil's name are they doing there, bringing war to this town before we're ready?"

"Beats me. Should I try to convince the idiot in power to close his gates to them?"

Amaranthia did not notice Kelaino approaching until the harpy leader spoke, "It is the most sensible choice for the people of Sander in the short-term."

The young elf looked up at her, surprised to hear her speak in elven so fluently, "Leader Kelaino, who taught you elven?"

The harpy chuckled, "I convinced your father to let some leaders learn enough to understand you, if the time ever came for him to step down."

Amaranthia looked down, taking a deep breath. It had been a couple of years, but the mention of her father's death still hurt somewhat, despite his distance. She knew he cared deeply about them, even if he seldom showed it. Like her tutors said back in her formative years: Spiritual magic is a gaze into anyone's soul. Still, she could not reminiscence about a time long gone at this point. She was leading men to defend what was an already inevitable war.

"I see. Well, back on topic, Leader Kelaino. I would argue that it's also in the best interest on the long-term. Those demons took my kingdom down in a night. Sander, right now, has half the defenses the Myrrhian kingdom had."

"Letting riders from the Elrianode Keep die at Sander's gates would leave it defenseless. Awakening Behemoth is a necessary risk to stop an army of undead. But if demons raid before the dead come flooding the gates, our sole ally are Elrianode Keep. And they would not come if the moment they learn we left some of their riders on their own."

Amaranthia thought about it in silence, trying to think of something, anything, to contradict her advice. But this time, it was the right one. Sander's closest ally was indeed Elrianode Keep. The Lanoxian Mercenaries were too far away to ever be of any help when war struck. She clicked her tongue, "Fair point. Rai, tell the Sayyid he needs to keep his damn mouth shut about my mission here. Elrianode Keep isn't that lenient, right?"

Kelaino shook her head, "Anyone who does not know the threat of the undead would think you are insane. I agree that is the better path to take."

"Alright," concluded Raicaeth, "I'll do my best so Sander is ready for their arrival tomorrow."

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec glared at the soldier before turning to the human girl and examining the chains. "Of course," she said in Elrian and she focused her mana on one of her fingers, and she gently placed her finger above the keyhole of the cuffs. She watched as the mana slithered into the hole and with a click, Xiopetec undid the cuffs. She gave a hesitant massage of the human girl's wrist before quickly releasing her grip. Judging by her earlier reaction, touch may be something to keep in moderation. "I'll be with you in one moment, child,

Then she turned to the soldier and she bared her fangs. She returned to the native tongue of the land, "Your superior blinded my High Priestess, and that is an action worthy of smiting him where he stands." Xiopetec glanced at the human and she folded her arms across her chest. "The only reason you still draw breath is because of her. You can live with that guilt of yours while you leave with your mutt. You should know that I am not a goddess to forgive easily, but I'll consider your apology." She gestured to the horizon. "Now take your leave."

Late

Zephyr​

​

Zephyr watched the elven warrior slay the deserters, and he tilted his head at the scene between him and the human girl before he looked to Serge. "Well, he certainly has my attention Debussy, how-"

The toss of the stone knocked the elven warrior out and Zephyr frowned. He moved with Serge as they talked with Zephyr only half-listening as he kept an eye on the human girl. Apparently the women in his life had a knack for going for his throat. Loreley already restricted his abilities by being forced to stay at camp, he didn't need a repeat to have him be forced to be in Stirbargen's company 24/7.

"He'll be a fine addition to the cult," Zephyr said as he slithered over and examined the unconscious warrior, making a mental note of anything worth immediate attention. The spear would have to be out of range and locked away, he'll have to take care of that himself. Maybe he could investigate the weapon himself.

Judging by the sheer magic exuded in the demonstration, it was too uncontrollable and unchecked. Mana like that is too destructive to the elf and those around him, he'd be a ticking time bomb. Unlike Debussy, who probably is anticipating the eventual explosion, Zephyr would have to take preventative measures. He and his followers would care for that, after all the Priest is very familiar with individuals in this state.

Then Serge had to take the human girl too. Zephyr rolled his eyes and he brought the elven warrior into his cage and made sure it was securely locked. He grabbed the spear then the drake's reigns and gently led it back to camp as the pair conversed and joked.

Once they arrived, Zephyr immediately called for one of his followers. A young glitter male wearing robe-like gard of a mage answered the call and Zephyr handed the reigns over to him. "Grab one of our own and take this one to one of our prayer locations, grab a cot for him. He'll be a new brother soon enough. I'll join shortly to assist."

The mage saluted Zephyr as he executed his orders. The priest watched until he turned to Serge and raised an eyebrow. "Now why give me a new member to break in, Debussy? You seemed especially proud of that one."

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Serge Debussy​

He was near his tent, sitting on a log near the fire, just about to set his own toy to begin her new duties when Zephyr interrupted his thoughts. "Hm? Oh, master Stirbargen got the word you were upset, so he wanted Ran to do something to make it up for you. As for why that elf in particular, well...."

Serge smirked at the memory of how fast Darhan had broken down when he poured boar blood over him and a piece of its liver all over him. It was so rare he got the chance to break a man that fast, he could not help but to both admire the result and laugh at how fragile idiots like Darhan became when it came to loved ones. Even one's own mother could die like a dog and making a big deal about it would only make things worse. Women as a whole were only good to be mothers or whores. Or both. He had not thought about it, but while he had seen one or two mixed-bloods around, he had no idea just how well a living human could entertain him. He forced the blonde woman to sit on his lap by yanking her around in her chains. The blonde yelped in pain and tried to get up again, but she soon shut up at the sight of one of his many hidden daggers. He patted her head, using his other hand to subtly feel if she would either be a viable mother or at least an enjoyable whore.

Seeing he left his sentence hanging, he retreated his evaluation of his catch and looked back at Zephyr, "That elf escaped with the little king from our forces. I would have loved to have him back as a toy, but," he combed the woman's hair back, "this isn't half bad as a consolation prize. You noticed how he went from proactively defending the human girl to simply do nothing, right? That's a sign he still remembers what I did to him. Although," he chuckled, "your new cultist still has the same stupid weak point. He would be untouchable if he was a little more like me, ya know? He fell to the same stupid thing the first time I captured him. Rescuing a human girl...ah, if you make him stay, I can't wait to show him the results of his chivalry."

He hugged the human girl from behind, laying his chin on her head, "That's it, snake-man. If you ever change your mind about keeping him, bring him to me. If you have trouble with him, send him over. It'd be a pleasure to beat him into submission once more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to unwrap my birthday gift."

Serge pushed the human girl back up and headed down to his tent with her when Yullr called out for him. He suppressed his urge to silence the little king with a dagger to the throat and faked a smile for him, forcing the girl to turn around with him. Surprisingly, Yullr's smile went away.

"Hey, kiddo. What's up?"

Yullr stared at the human girl he had taken in and the blonde herself simply pressed her lips before looking away. Kuvira put a hand over Yullr's shoulder.

"My king?"

"You know the girl, Ulysses?"

The young teen snapped out of his mutism, shaking his head to answer him, "No, Serge. I was just going to say I'm almost strong enough to make the first unit march forward."

"Ah, that's good. You should be telling that to Ran, kiddo. I'm taking my evening off."

Yullr nodded, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

While Serge saw him and Kuvira go away the same way they did before, something was telling him he should make sure the young pup was not rattling his chains too much when he was this young. If there was anyone who could, in Serge's eyes, either be the best toy to break down or to mold into someone who could think like him, it was Yullr. What he wished to do with Ran's puppet depended on just how well the human girl did. As soon as he saw one of his men, he ordered them to tell Ran in secret to strengthen the spell that bound Yullr as Ran's slave. Once he was in the relative privacy his tent offered, he lifted the girl's head up.

"Eyes blue, huh? Never see that in demon world."

She shivered as he took his dagger to rip through her buttoned clothing. He was not going to lose time unbuttoning every little thing.

"No."

He smirked, "Oh, so the girl knows elven, huh?"

"No...no..."

She was crying now, starting to sob loudly. It was turning her face red, in an unappealing way. He put back her clothes on her the best he could. Then, he pretended to look outside before locking the entrance to his tent the best he could. Once he returned to her, Serge gently set the chains on her neck and feet free.

"You don't want any of this, do you?"

The woman was shocked, but her tears had stopped. Serge took a handkerchief out of his pocket and swept her tears away. "Is no the only thing you learnt to say in elven, girl?"

She stared at him curiously, tilting her head. The fear was not quite gone from her eyes, but it was just near the sweet spot he needed to create to fully enjoy his night.

"Human, 'no' is last thing you know of elf language?"

She nodded.

"Sorry. Have to pretend that to be like demons. Others. Darhan will have no good chance to get out."

"I don't get it," she said slowly. Enough for him to get the general idea of what she was saying, "What do you have to pretend? What's going to happen to Darhan?"

"I," he pointed at himself, "need pretend to be cruel." he pushed his hair back to unveil both the scar Stirbargen left on him as well as the burned marks of his slave tattoo around his neck, "If I do not pretend, it is pain. I lament scaring you. But demons left elven people no choice."

Despite being her captor, Serge saw pity in her eyes. Despite being so close to a war, the girl was as naive as they came. And that's what he loved capturing young maidens from their villages. He looked down, grabbing his head in his hands, thinking on the pain of the moment Stirbargen burnt his ear off to force some believable tears out, "Not safe in your village, not anywhere around. I do not like. I hate pretend. I convince snake person to let you to me. Because I know he is real monster. You die if left with snake person. At least..."

he looked at her with tearful eyes, "At least, I'm not as monster as them if I save one life, not?"

The human woman hesitantly got closer to him, not noticing that he was already preparing something to make sure she would not snap out of it until he said so. When she put a hand over his shoulder, Serge took out a flask of a temporary love potion and shattered it in his gloved fist, which made sure the smoke of the spell was only targeting the human woman. From her fear and pity, the girl, entranced by the spell, undressed for him and Serge had the confirmation she would fill both roles of a woman perfectly. The following morning she would realize the trick, but that was what would make the pillow talk even better. If she got too feisty, on the other hand, he would have to leave her as a permanent one night stand unless Ran authorized her to be part of the new army.

****
Kuvira
​

He worried when his king bid goodbye to Serge that quickly. He was mumbling to himself and although he went back to train with his magic, Kuvira noticed Ulysses was not focused at all. As the young king sat down to recharge his mana, Kuvira sat next to him.

"My king, are you sure you are feeling well? You seem to be out of focus since you saw Serge with that woman."

The young teen frowned, "I'm just...I might have mistaken the mana on her for something else. Darhan was killed already."

A flash of a memory passed like a fleeting thought in Kuvira's mind. He frowned at the strange and ephemeral thought, "My king...was he part of your subjects? I...think I've heard the name before."

"He was, Kuvira. But he betrayed me and Ran did me a favour by killing him...But why would Adelaide have his mana lingering over her clothes?"

The marks over his king's neck glowed strongly, making him bend under the pain. Kuvira put an arm around him, "King Ulysses! What happened?"

The monarch shook his head, "Nothing, Kuvira. I just...need to get used to Ran's name."

Kuvira frowned, "My king, that mark is Ran's name?"

"Yeah."

"And if hurts you when you're not focused, wouldn't that make you a slave?"

Ulysses' lilac eyes stared blankly at his feet for a long minute before filling themselves with anger he shot at him with a glare, "How dare you, Kuvira? You don't know anything about demonic magic, about how Ran saved my life! Don't pretend you know what makes anyone a slave to them! A slave would be branded against his will. I embraced this spell and demonic mana willingly! I'm not being used anymore!"

Although he nodded and agreed with his king, Kuvira could not help but think it was a shame that the one called Darhan had not remained by his side. At his weakest point, Ulysses had accepted chains to rebel against the unfairness of the war he was now stepping in.

Would he, one day, realize where he truly stood? Kuvira hoped so. Most importantly, he hoped he would realize that before he did something he would regret forever.

****
Belegor Myrlenn
​

The study of The Crystal Maiden had only revealed more and more incredible data as days went by. Belegor, in his youth, had believed there was always some truth to the myths and folktales they shared, but this new study in Avariel territory confirmed what had only been a wild guess centuries ago. He still had not quite found the way to extract all the mana stored in that human-sized crystal statue, let alone how to channel it through Nasod technology to form an unbreakable shield. Yet, each day was a step forward to understand a history that, even during the warring era, was thought to be wild rumours and legends.

And yet, there he was, standing and seeing for himself the power of the last priestess of Acca Larentia, a goddess of a tribe of druid hunters that were wiped out just a month before Sult was sealed away.

Belegor stared at the statue, looking away from the strain the holographic screens put on him.

"Maybe this is blasphemy, but you wouldn't want to see your land be destroyed again, would you? That's why I need your power."

****
Ren
​

She shivered in her sleep, dreaming again of a rain of blue fire and an explosion of green energy that tried to shield the hail of blue destruction. But it was never strong enough and she always woke up with the sensation she had been burnt somewhere. But this time, she heard the voice of a man as she woke up.

"Maybe this is blasphemy, but you wouldn't want to see your land be destroyed again, would you? That's why I need your power."

Ren passed her hands over her face, trying to calm herself down and take deep breaths, but she could not quite make it. The feeling of fire returned like the images of destruction all around her. Knowing she could not go back to sleep, Ren dressed simply and went out to the gardens. She had always felt safe there, surrounded by nature and roses of El that bloomed wonderfully all around. Ren passed her finger over one of the crystal-like petals of the rose, finding some peace in feeling that the flower was in perfect shape. Its every mana circuit was filled up with El energy.

It was the reassurance she needed to forget the doom situation in her dreams. And, just like an unexpected turn in a dream, Ren heard the voice of her goddess to her right.

"You couldn't sleep tonight either, Ren?"

The goddess was leaning out from her balcony, dressed with a night-gown that was just a little too light for Ren to continue at her without feeling her cheeks grow redder. The warrior combed her hair back nervously.

"Y-yeah, but don't worry, my goddess. You...must be cold, just wearing that. Don't worry about me. I'm all good now."

"Oh. You're right. I should at least put on my dressing gown. Give me a minute."

Ren hesitantly looked to the open window into the goddess's chambers, catching a glimpse of her nude body before she turned immediately away. What was she doing, trying to look at Ishmael's chambers like some creep? No, more importantly, why was she feeling this ashamed of barely seeing a woman nude? It wasn't that strange...was it? Maybe it was just her.

Ishmael came back to her window, offering her a loving smile, "What woke you up this time, Ren?"

"Oh...well, the same dream as always....I just...heard an elven man speak by the end of it."

Ishmael's face shifted from a motherly warmth to her usual seriousness, "What did he say?"

Ren looked up, trying to remember the exact words, but she could only remember glimpses of it by now. "Uh...it was something about blasphemy and not letting the same town or thing be destroyed again. I don't really remember anymore."

For a second, Ren could have sworn she saw fear and worry in Ishmael's eyes, but it was soon hidden by her previous warm smile, "Really? Well, I'll keep on the lookout if that means anything. Would you like to come by for some tea? I know just the thing to help you sleep."

Ren felt her heart pound a bit too strongly in her chest, but she could not refuse the goddess's invitation. Or maybe it was already too impolite to accept. Would Morgana accept? Maybe not. But it was just tea. Surely tea was not too much, right? It would just be like a normal reunion of the court just...more private.

Yeah, no.

"Goddess Ishmael...I-I don't think I can accept such honour. It's also...a bit late for tea. I think."

The goddess of the El chuckled, perhaps amused by how red her cheeks were by now, "You're right, Ren. But if you ever change your mind, feel free to knock, alright?"

The warrior slowly nodded, "Y-yes. I'll...give it a thought."

Now, with another kind of unstoppable thoughts running through her mind, Ren went back to her chambers, feeling as alert, if not more, as she had been when she woke up for the first time.

 

[Late]

Lucius​

Lucius watches Kili fly off with his dragon to Sander, letting out a heavy sigh as a cool wind passes by. Fujin above him stops to hover in the air, watching the other rider leaving. He appears to be exhausted for trying to keep everyone cool, panting hard as he slowly descends down. Cornelius beside him looks over to Fujin and knowing how his dragon is, Lucius walks over to the wind dragon. His dragon quietly followed along and gave the fellow dragon almost a shy nudge, as if Cornelius was afraid to be too...Lucius wasn’t sure what to call it.

Cornelius was always annoyed by Fujin's positive and outgoing nature, and at this point, Lucius wants to believe his dragon is aware of why Fujin is usually “extra” around him specifically. Thus the reason why his dragon became rather awkward around him. Or was it shyness? He couldn’t tell and Cornelius usually avoided the subject whenever he asked about it. Besides that, it saddens Lucius to see Fujin this down and Cornelius still having a weird boundary around him. There must be something he could do...but what can he do?

“Oh, if the sun could just chill out for a couple of seconds, that would be so grand,” Fujin mumbled, his fur bristling up as he shook off some sand. Cornelius hummed in agreement.

“I...wish I could be helpful,” Cornelius mumbled quietly.

“You’re down here guarding the people,” Fujin said, lifting his head up to look at the large group.

“Well...more helpful. Everyone here is tired and hungry, and it feels so empty here…” Cornelius huffed, narrowing his eyes.

“Don’t worry guys. Sander isn’t too far off and if they let us in for a couple of hours at least, I think we’ll be fine,” Lucius said, trying to keep spirits high.

“And if they don’t? It’s kinda uncalled for us riders to make an out of nowhere appearance at their doorsteps. They don’t even know what we are bringing with us,” Fujin sighed heavily. “Not to mention, Ivy is at the worst of moods. Just imagine being told ‘no’ as a moody, nature dragon in intense heat with no water at all and having to keep a village of people safe from demons.”

“You sayin’ the dragon might throw a tantrum?”

Lucius turns his head to see Daniel walking up to them, dabbing away the sweat around his forehead with a red handkerchief. Cornelius gave a strange look and Lucius already knew they had the same thought. It would be strange to see Ivy throwing a tantrum, and as well as dangerous. But surely it can’t be possible with Kili around, right? Lucius heard a snicker from the wind dragon.

“Well, when I was young and starting fresh, I did first witness a younger Ivy having a moment against another dragon. The other dragon was Vulcan. I think the whole issue was the fact that his tail was so long and it practically messed around with a lot of nests. Ivy happens to be his den mate at the time and Vulcan tends to tease her a lot, purposely hitting her with his tail and claiming that it was an accident. It kept going for a while and everyone knows that one day, she will explode.

“And that day happens to really be an accident. Vulcan was horseplaying the other dragons as Ivy was eating nearby. He got pushed close enough to Ivy and his tail happened to knock Ivy’s food out of the mountains. When Vulcan realizes what happens, he tries to apologize for it. However, his tail swung one last time to smack Ivy right in the snout and she just let it all out. It took days for everyone to calm her down and they arranged her a new den mate. You should’ve seen it though. For a fire dragon, all that came out of Vulcan’s maw was just smoke no matter how he tried. That’s just how scared he got.”

“Yikes,” Daniel mumbled out. “I guess that’s normal for a dragon rider.”

“It seems like it…” Lucius said, scratching the back of his head. “I...well...it hasn’t been long for me to confirm that myself.”

“Oh. I guess this is your very first job then,” Daniel said with surprise. “...sorry that it sucks.”

“D-don’t be! I...I am always happy to help those who are in need of help,” Lucius said with a smile. “How are you holding up, anyway?”

“Eh, I think we’re all on the same boat. On the bright side of things, it looks like my two children are managing to crack the silent walker,” Daniel said, gesturing to where they are. “They manage more than a word out of him, hell, almost a full sentence. I guess the demons scared him that badly.”

Lucius looks over to where Daniel was looking at and he smiles lightly. Both Salvator and Annabelle seem to be having a back and forth conversation with each other, with Cedric simply listening to both of them. Salvator was spinning out and around a strange object in his hand from his belt as if trying to show how it works. Before Lucius could question Daniel on what Salvator was really doing, something afar caught his eye and immediately he tensed up.

“Is there a sandstorm coming?” Lucius asked, specifically to the dragons.

Fujin stood back up to see what Lucius was looking at and began to look worried. “I flew around so many times, I know for a fact there wasn’t a storm coming on our way.

“Strange, it looks like it is coming from the mainland,” Cornelius commented. Lucius heard a deep gasp from Fujin.

“Did I manage to summon a sand storm by accident!?” Fujin yelled out, causing a few villages to look at him in confusion.

“Fujin, keep your voice low,” Cornelius hissed.

“It would be a bad idea to cause panic with these people,” Lucius said nervously. “It can’t be a storm...it’s actually getting closer a lot faster.” He swiftly turns to Daniel. “Daniel, I think we need to move right now, to Sander.”

“You can’t be serious…” Daniel mumbled out, looking nervous himself but Lucius didn’t wait to hear what the man would want to suggest. “We haven’t heard from Kili yet!” They might run out of time if they try to think about their options.

He got onto his dragon quickly and turned to the villagers. They were already looking at them with concern and Lucius couldn’t spare them the truth. “Everyone, we’re heading towards Sander right now. All that I ask for you guys is to not-”


An explosion of sand interrupted nearby and it caught everyone by surprise. The dragons tensed up and the people shifted their attention to the explosion. They were quick to get up where they sat and Daniel didn’t hesitate to yell at them to start moving.

“Everyone, follow me, I can guide us to Sander,” Fujin yelled out as soon as Daniel began to order everyone to move.

The wind dragon took flight and everyone was moving as quickly as they could. Lucius caught Annabelle trying to help Cedric to run and for a moment, his eyes met with the fragile man and Lucius thought he caught a sign of guilt. Salvator was picked up by his father and yet, still has his strange object in his hand. As everyone ran away, the sand finally died down and Lucius could see the demon approaching. He was the same one that he encountered with Aria and he glared at his enemy. He could finally get his revenge, gripping tightly on his reins on Cornelius.

“Lucius?” Cornelius called out, focusing on the people fleeing. “We can’t let them get to these people...Lucius?”

Lucius couldn’t hear his dragon. It was strange but something was taking control of him at the moment. All he wanted to do was to get his revenge. He wants the enemy to pay for killing his friend, and he is not going to let the chance slip by this time around.

Kili
​

The flight to the Sander village was somewhat peaceful. Kili admits that he figured Ivy would go on in a rant about how the heat was killing her but she stayed quiet. Often, he would catch her glancing back at him as if to make sure he was still there and it made the rider sigh. He starts to lean over and scratch her around the neck. Ivy simply grunted in response.

“Don’t worry, Ivy. I won’t leave you again,” Kili mumbled to his dragon.

“...not the only thing I worry about,” Ivy sighed. “I am more worried if these Sander people would grant us shelter or not...I don’t think I can take this heat much longer,” she grumbled out, starting to glide down as they were approaching the gates.

“I have my way with words. Plus, I doubt they would turn their head away from us as we are allies with them. Unless Everett did something illegal behind our backs, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Kili said.

“Tch. Not Everett, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the whelp with him gave bad impressions,” Ivy huffed.

“Oh come on, I thought you and Vulcan made up already. Didn’t you two-” Kili began to say but stopped immediately when Ivy landed heavily on the sand. He bit his tongue.

“Don’t you dare bring it up, Kili Stargazer,” Ivy hissed.

“Sorrie...sorrie...goodness my tongue…” Kili grumbled under his breath leaning over as he holds his mouth.

He took a moment to recover before slowly lifting up his head and taking in a deep breath. Ivy walked closer to the gates and there were guards stationed by. Kili cleared his throat and Ivy suddenly perked up.

“Good evening, people of Sander. My name is Kili Stargazer, a dragon rider from Elrianode Keep. I have come in desperate need of shelter not just for myself, but for a village of people. I would like to speak with your chief about what business we have brought to your village if you don’t mind,” Kili said to them.

Before the guards to say a word, Ivy snapped her head to look back. “Shut up,” she said harshly.

Kili could see the offending looks from the guards and he hissed at Ivy, “Ivy, why you said-”

“Shh! Don’t you hear that?!” Ivy snapped loudly, silencing Kili.

It took him a couple of seconds to hear distance screams and eventually, he could see Fujin flying towards their direction. “Why is it always when I’m away from them…” He quickly looks back at the guards. "On second thought, I need an answer right away. Will you, or will you not open your gates to us?"

MementoDei

Sol​

Sol’s smile widened slightly at Xiopetec. “Not a goddess to forgive easily? I’ll keep that in mind,” he purred, appearing to look satisfied with the situation. He gave Aria one last look before turning to leave. Infernal let out another low growl before following his master, his flames burning hotly. “I am grateful that you spare me, Goddess Xiopetec. I’ll be sure to stay out of your way from this point on and learn from my guilt. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” Sol gave a small wave as he kept walking away, now having a scowl on his face.

He gets back to his carriage and hesitates on where to go next. Infernal sat patiently next to him and after a moment of silence, he mumbled to the driver of his destination.

Time passed and Sol caught himself thinking about Xiopetec. Not just her, but the other gods as well. He slightly frowned as he thought back to an old memory he had with the king that stuck on him for a long time…

He was young, and yet, a soldier moving up in ranks. His performance earned him a meeting with the king, but Sol wasn’t excited or thrilled at the time. He was taught from the very beginning to not let his emotions be wasted so carelessly when he could be saving it for something else. The Hellfire kingdom was a nation to be proud of. Sol couldn’t have it in any other way and being the most powerful kingdom there pleased him greatly.

So when he met the king in his most powerful state, it confused Sol greatly to see a strange look on his majesty’s face.

“Tell me soldier...how much do you know of our history?” The king questioned him.

“I know as far back when Sult was sealed away, sire,” Sol answered honestly.

“Really now? I suppose you know our 'history' with the angels then…” the king mumbled, taking a moment to stand from his throne to pace around. Sol watches how the flames around him linger about before fading away, knowing he could hear strange voices emitting from it.

“They pushed us back into the demon realm when we tried to take arms for Sult, sire” Sol said bluntly.

The king sighed, staring hard at Sol. “I suppose our history changed a lot. It’s always a new story whenever I meet the greatest soldier of a new generation...even our appearances changed so much.” The king chuckled and Sol found himself agreeing with him. He does have families who don’t even look related to him. “Nothing to worry about, either way. As long we find a way to succeed...we can make them pay.”

“Make who pay, sire?” Sol questioned, frowning slightly. “Are you not satisfied with our current standings in the demon world? No one could possibly out strength us, sire,” Sol mumbled.

“Why does that matter if they won't able to see it?! If only you knew what happened to that day...the day when we were wrongfully punished…” The king spat out angrily. “I want to make them see how wrong they were to cast us away...to keep us apart…”

Sol’s mind jumped when the carriage stopped. Ignoring his rider, he stepped out to be at the front gates of the ruined kingdom once again. He stares up to the large castle at the far back and narrows his eyes slightly. There was one thing he wanted to do long ago but was unable to do so. And it was to find the real truth out of all this mess.

 

[MementoDei]

Raicaeth Irisse ​

He heard the screams in the distance and got rushing out with other Caluso tribesmen to be of aid to the guards. With his turban, wooden glasses and cotton scarf to keep the sand out, he looked no different from the shapeshifter warriors that came to aid the forces posted outside the Khalife territory. Raicaeth frowned at the way the wind howled behind the screams, knowing that was no normal storm. Something else was causing it. He looked at Kili and ordered at the guards to open the doors to let the dragon and its rider enter using the local dialect.

"Welcome to Sander, rider," he said, looking back at the storm, "you and whoever we can take out in the next few minutes will be welcome. The storm howling is too dangerous to keep our gates open. Hope you understand I need to protect this town as well."

He got his scarf slightly down to whistle the call for the Valley Harpies. In less than a minute, armoured Valkyries with golden feathers came and one of them dropped an enchanted spear in his hands before picking him up. The other Caluso transformed into powerful wind elementals while others summoned wind pixies to keep a protective barrier around them. Raicaeth wished he had donned at least something more protective than his leather armour, even when he was protected by the harpy that was letting him mount over her back. His apprehension only grew as the first real signs of the storm got closer to him.

No magic he knew could form clouds of sand in that way. He leaned closer to the harpy's head and muttered his orders, "We get the first line of survivors and that's it. Relay the message."

The golden Valkyrie nodded and let out a screech that only the other harpies and transformed Caluso could understand as words. Since no other screech nor growl of the elementals was heard back, Raicaeth assumed everyone else had agreed with his orders. It was great news, but he had to confirm it.

"Anyone against it?"

"No, Raicaeth Irisse. This storm is giving everyone bad vibes."

The elf nodded, adjusting his scarf as the winds got even stronger, glancing at the circular, golden blades the harpy was summoning, keeping turning over the tip of her wings. She and the rest of the harpies would make those rain if whatever made this storm this eerie approached too much. From here, Raicaeth could see the first survivors out, including two dragons and a single rider. Something had clearly happened to the other one. He was not going to take any chances. After charging up his spear with most of his mana, Raicaeth threw it like a javelin behind the first fifty or so people who made it behind him. The weapon disintegrated into a strong wall of wind that contained the storm behind the first line. The transformed Caluso used their magic to lift the people on foot over a carpet of wind to make them go as fast as the dragons and harpies retreating back into the city's walls. Once they were at the gates, Raicaeth got back on land with the rest and let the harpies fly away higher than anyone else could to keep an eye on the city while the wind elementals and Caluso summoners used their ancient magic to activate the magic pillars spread across the city's walls. A dome of wind magic spread around the city, but it was not enough to keep Raicaeth at ease. With a deep sigh, he took off both his glasses and scarf, revealing finally his elven traits to the newcomers.

"That was a close call, but I don't think we're safe just yet. I'd say you keep a dragon around here to help out before we go speak to The War Council."

Late

*****
Darhan Irisse
​

The sickly headache and fever that hit him as he opened his eyes almost made him hope he had turned back in time. Back when he had barely inherited Chulainn. He was lying on a warm bed and the air around him definitely smelled of home. But the brief illusion of safety shattered as soon as he shifted on the bed. The chime of iron chains tying his hands together woke him up in a panic. He saw himself surrounded by hooded people, all of them using the same pink magic Nurelth had used back in that day around him. One of them approached him and put a firm hand on his shoulder. Darhan could not see well the man's face, but the horns that his hood did not hide made him freeze. He clenched his fists, his breaths growing heavier as he realized he was completely unprotected against the pain in his eyes and....

Darhan unconsciously was charging his fists with wind magic, creating a crack on the handcuffs. It was only until another hooded person, a woman perhaps, used the magic to sap it away that the elf noticed what he was doing. The woman was a dark elf, but her purple eyes and pink hair led him to believe she was not a pure-blood. In fact, he was sure the woman did not even speak to him in elven, and yet he understood her.

"Brother, calm down."

"What?"

The elven woman was surprised as well, "Brother, where could you have learnt to speak demonic? Aren't you from Elrios?"

The man who had tried to make him lie down again answered, pointing at Darhan's right arm, where his family crest was, "Zephyr told me a bit how elves here work. This mark right here is their inherited power. The more generations pass, the more knowledge they can pass on to their children. It can be languages, old magic, armour enchantments. Anything that would take a long time to pick up without any prior knowledge. Maybe one of his ancestors spoke it."

Darhan looked at his family crest, and back at the man, "How do you know that?"

The demon shrugged, "I only know what Zephyr told me to help you. Never asked him where he got that from, brother. I had no idea some elves here could still pass on their knowledge on demonic."

The woman smiled, trying to give him some sort of comfort, "Well, I guess it's all the better for us. We can speak freely with our new brother."

But Darhan was not at all comforted by her words. He noticed his family crest had changed far too much. He assumed he had unlocked more of his father's knowledge to understand Elrian and speak it better, but understanding demonic was beyond what any of his lineage could know. No Myrrhian elf remembered that language nor spoke the enemy's language in the Warring Era. This...something like this could have only happened after he took his crest back from the demons. The memories Chulainn had suppressed from his mind, the rampage he went into to take back his family crest was still too much. The demons had perverted what made him an Irisse and he could no longer go back. Not only his life, but his very lineage was corrupted beyond repair.

"Brother?" the woman called, making him snap back into the present.

"Would you like to tell us your name, or would you like to be baptized anew by the goddess mother?"

"Xiopetec?"

The elven woman nodded, "Yes. My, you know a lot for an Elrian elf. Are you one of her believers in hiding, brother?"

Darhan shook his head, "No. I...just let me sleep some more."

He laid back down on the bed of straw he was given and the elven woman covered him again, despite the glare the other demon gave her.

"You know Zephyr is going to want him awake to speak to him, right? He could come back at any moment."

"Yes. And I'll wake him up if it's the case. Be considerate, Als. You know very well how the Mad Dog leaves his victims. He needs to heal."

Phant0m

 

[Late]

Lucius
​

Lucius was very confused about why he was suddenly getting further away from his opponent. “Cornelius?!” He shouted at this dragon, trying to force him to turn around. His dragon wasn’t listening at all, pulling onto the reins that tugged him and opening his wings to take flight.

He looked back to see the strange demon and noticed how fast the sandstorm caught up to them. They were nearly surrounded and Lucius didn’t understand how this could’ve happened. Despite them fleeing, the demon gave chase with a wide grin. Lucius pulled out his sword, still very willing to battle but Cornelius wasn’t giving him any sort of chance. The dragon quickened his wings to go faster.

Lucius shifted his attention to the storm that was catching up and he caught a glimpse of a burning light in the clouds of sand. He wasn’t sure how many there were but the people below won’t be able to escape. He could see several getting stuck within the sand, the storm catching up to them and hearing screams of pain. He eventually spotted Daniel who happened to be further behind, trying to help everyone to run.

“This...this…” Lucius wasn’t sure what to feel at the point. His emotions were all mixed around, wanting his revenge and feeling guilt for not helping everyone else. Who knows how many were already lost in the sand.

Lucius looked back once again and his whole body tensed up when the demon jumped into the air, fire propelling from his feet to get higher in the air. The demon was practically right behind him and already had his weapon swinging. He pulled up his sword to deflect the flying blade coming for him but he failed to see a second blade swinging by and hitting Cornelius’s leg.

His dragon hissed out in surprise, diving down to avoid any more damages from the demon. Lucius looked to see the demon back on the ground level but kept pushing forward. With the intense heat going on around them from the storm, Lucius couldn’t see them escaping at all. They were so worn down by the heat in the first place and Cornelius looked ready to drop. Lucius huffed out loud and eventually, he noticed someone ahead with a spear in hand. He couldn’t process what it was exactly, but something urged him to make a quick choice.

“Cornelius, we need to help Daniel,” Lucius rasped out.

“Extra weight will slow us down,” Cornelius mumbled with hesitation.

“These people need their chief. We can at least try to save him.”

Cornelius still appears to be uncertain but when Lucius saw the spear go flying towards their direction, he urged his dragon to look as well. Cornelius’ eyes widened and made a very quick decision to dive down. Fortunately, they were able to dodge around another attack they didn’t pay attention to and Lucius cast a fearful look as the demon’s blades missed by a few inches. The demon cast a confused look at their detour and nearly tripped it’s footing in the sand when landed back down.

“Daniel!” Lucius yelled out, holding out an arm for him.

Daniel looks up to see them heading for him but he skidded to a halt. Salvator was still in his arms and the boy looked just as scared as anyone else. If he were, to be honest, Lucius completely forgot about Salvator being carried by his father. However, he didn’t hesitate to grab the man by the shirt and force them along with him.

They barely made it the time when the spear struck down behind them. The sandstorm was contained by but Lucius swore he saw villages who weren’t able to make it get blown back. He looks down at Daniel of which Cornelius was holding now. However, something struck deep in his heart when he saw the man without his child.

Kili​

Kili and Ivy watch the people coming in, both of them equally worried. Fujin flew in with several people on his back, breathing hard and coughing. The sand was all over his fur and yet, he appears to be grateful to keep some people safe. It took a while but Cornelius, Lucius, and Daniel got in. Kili was very relieved with this, however, Daniel scrambled away from the dragon and tried to go back out.

“Daniel, Daniel!” Lucius called out in panic, getting off his dragon to stop him.

Kili immediately follows after, stopping the man from going back out to the desert. “Get off of me! My boy is back there,” he yelled angrily, trying to shake off Kili. “Many others too!”

“Daniel, please calm yourself, they’re gone,” Kili mumbled out, unsure what to make of this situation. He dragged Daniel away from the entrance and caught Daniel casting an angry stare at Lucius.

“If only you weren’t trying to look for a fight! You could’ve helped everyone else back there!”

Lucius appears to look guilty with his sword in hand and Kili let out a heavy sigh. “Stop it, Daniel. It’s done, it’s over.”

Daniel struggled a few more in his grip but the man eventually gave up. His people looked mournful in the situation and the chief slumps down, glaring into the ground. “...Annabelle got left behind too…”

Kili couldn’t bring himself to say comforting words to Daniel. Losing two children within minutes...it was definitely harsh. He looks up at the elven man talking to them and leaves Daniel be with a heavy sigh. He saw Fujin went up on the wall despite his conditions and Kili wanted to call him back down. Though when he saw Fujin confused, Kili knew there was something wrong.

“Kili, Lucius, look,” Fujin called out to them.

Both riders got on their dragon and got up on the wall next to Fujin. Kili blinked when he saw the storm dying out completely after the wall of wind block it out and he could easily see several surviving villagers. However, the surviving villagers were trying to get away from what it seems to be a fire spirit chasing after them. There were at least ten of them running about, kicking up the sand and moving around swiftly. They look like they were toying around with the humans before engulfing them in flames completely.

“Are you serious?” Ivy snapped out loud, enraged with what she was seeing.

As the fire spirits go out with their burning victims, only one demon stands alone. The four-horned demon appears to be annoyed with what happened, staring at them. Kili could definitely tell they were being studied for being this far away. He appears to be injured too, the demon checking his own arm before starting to walk around.

“Did we really get shown up by one demon…” Fujin mumbled out eventually.

“We were told about these guys from the villagers. When it’s hot like this, I suppose a demon like that can pull off a stunt to put us in disarray,” Kili grunted.

Everyone suddenly perked up when the demon picked up a small boy from the sand, keeping him at a distance as the boy was yelling and struggling about.

“That has to be Salvator,” Lucius said suddenly, and Kili immediately held out his hand to stop him.

“It’s too risky to go back out there again. We don’t know where the second one is at the moment,” Kili scolded. “Those who got left behind are gone now…” Lucius appears to look defeated. “Fujin, you can stay and help with others. Cornelius, it looks like you got hurt. I'll see if anyone can help you with that wound and Lucius, stay with me for now...”

Salvator​

So much has happened within the past minutes. Salvator found himself in the sand and it felt extremely hot around him. When he sat up, he immediately shrunk away when a villager just got jumped by a burning spirit. He was frozen in fear as he listened to the screams and the cackling coming out of the spirit. Eventually, he fumbled and pulled the gun from his belt. From the look of things, he was alone and left behind.

As the fire faded away, Salvator slowly looked around and noticed the demon standing by. His eyes widened when the demon leaned down to study Annabelle who happened to be passed out on the ground. As the demon began to grab her, his hand stopped shaking and took aim. There was a pop and yet, the demon didn’t shake or flinch in reaction. Instead, he stopped what he was doing to look at the wall of Sander and studied the bullet wound on his arm. Salvator scrambles on his feet.

He heard the demon calling out for him but Salvator chose to ignore, looking around to find some way to hide. It wasn’t long he was picked up by the arm and Salvator began to panic.

“Let me go, you matchstick!” Salvator yelled frantically. “Someone help!”

The demon appears to be amused at his behavior and plucked the gun out of his hand. He studies it curiously and eventually drops the boy to hold the gun in his two hands. Salvator grunted as he fell back in the sand and took the chance to pull out a second pistol. Always have more than one, his mother told him one day. However, the demon noticed this and leaned his head back to dodge the bullet. The monster appears to be very amused with this and took the second gun away from Salvator.

“H-hey!” Salvator whimpered out, watching as the demon held the two pistols in hand.

The demon curiously tested them out in the open air and once he figured out how it works, he looked down at the boy. There was a scary-looking grin on the demon’s face. Suddenly, Annabelle jumped on the unsuspecting demon with a yell, pulling the horns roughly as forcing the demon to drop the guns.

“Sis!” Salvator yelled in surprise, scrambling for his guns as the demon tried to shake her off.

“Run, Sal! I can hold him back for now!” Annabelle yelled out.

Salvator didn’t want to leave his sister, however, holding his gun to point at them. He was shaking badly as he could not get a clear shot but when Annabelle managed to get her arm around the demon’s neck, Salvator pulled the trigger. The demon’s eyes widen and as if time stopped, Salvator watches how the demon suddenly vanished into thin air with his sister. The bullet missed its mark and seconds later, the demon returned back except he was behind him.

Salvator turned around to see the demon in a different form, his flesh was literally fire with his armor still intact and his sister yelled in pain as she collapsed off of him. There were many burn marks all over her body and Salvator ran to her side.

“Annabelle!” He cried out, looking uncertain at the burn marks on her body. He didn’t realize how much he was sweating and just noticed the burns on his own clothes. Salvator looked fearfully at the burning demon stand before them.

“...Sal...Anna…belle,” the demon mumbled out, his face scrunching up at them. There was a scowl on his face and Salvator noticed someone was approaching them. The second demon.

A rock hit the fiery demon’s head and both of them dive into what seems to be an argument. Salvator hopefully looked toward the Sander walls for any possible signs of help but none came. He felt confused, overwhelmed, and tired. His attention shifted when he noticed the demons approaching them swiftly and started to pick them up.

“No, leave us alone!” Salvator said angrily. “Someone, please help!!” Yet, no one came.

The fire died out from the demon, in which Salvator was easily thrown over his shoulder to be carried. His sister was being carried by the other demon and just as quickly they showed up, they were quick to leave the area.

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec
​

The goddess watched with hard eyes as the carriage left before she turned to the human girl and slowly walked over. "Are you hurt?" Xiopetec asked as she looked her over, neon yellow eyes flitting about in quick movements before she stopped in front of the human. "I'll draw up a bath for you, and provide some new clothing. I might even have a spare set of leather armor for you...." She hummed, tapping her chin in thought before she gave a small smile. "What's your name, child?"

Late

Loreley​

"So are you just going to stand there?" Loreley asked as she tried to pin point the follower.

"Over here," He said and Loreley quickly adjusted herself to face the direction of his voice, "And yes, Priestess. I'm standing here because I know the Goddess Mother would like to see you not get hurt."

Loreley scoffed. "I'm not a child."

"Losing a sense suddenly quickly made you one. Priestess, you don't know how to use the walking stick properly."

"I do!" She went to wave it before her to take a step only to hit something, and hearing muttered curses.

"Congratulations you have found my ankle, and failed to find your path. Allow me to show you how to guide yourself with the stick."
A firm hand gripped her wrist, and guided through a light sweeping motion, only a slight vibration from the tip of her walking stick felt to her hands as it lightly graced the floor. " to feel the terrain." He released.

"How do you know this?"

"I had an eye injury as well, but I was lucky enough to preserve most of my sight, so it was temporary."

"Once I learn the mana sense, this will be temporary."

Silence.

"Hello?"

Silence.

The bastard left. "Rude!" Loreley said and she shook her head. "Ugh, what's taking Mother so long?" And she started to move about the Church, narrowly avoiding corners of corridors and tripping over the occasional raised stone.

Zephyr​

​

He shook his head as Serge walked off and sighed. Upset? At a stupid encounter with Loreley? Someone who wanted to trigger things into motion with him, than blamed him for getting what she wanted? The naga priest gave a low hiss before rubbing his temples.

Mother help him.

And thanks to Stirbargen and Ran, he now has a new cult member to undo the damage that's been done by Serge.
Mother. Help. Him.

But if his Mother Goddess had taught him anything, is that to lead with honey gives the best result. Zephyr's followers would live and die for him as they would for Xiopetec, and they trust in him enough to rarely question his authority. The elven warrior will be the most difficult to gain trust from, but the priest will take what he can get. Mainly, he just wants to minimize the risk of a sudden murder-suicide. Unpredictability is the last thing he wants.

He made his way to where the warrior is being kept, and he nodded to one of his followers at the entrance, the glitter from earlier.

"How's he doing?" Zephyr asked.

"Alright, for now. We're keeping an eye on him. We kept his hands bound, but undid the rest." The glitter answered.

Zephyr nodded. "Good. Make sure I'm not interrupted when I speak with him." He paused and tilted his head. "Unless it involves Stirbargen."

"Yes Zephyr!"

"Blessed be."

"Blessed be."

The naga priest slithered inside, acknowledging each member present before looking to the sleeping elf warrior and raising an eyebrow.

"How long has he been asleep?" He asked, his tone betraying a bit of concern.

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Darhan Irisse​

He had barely manage to drift to sleep when the sound of someone sliding in got him alert, although he did not turn around yet nor opened his eyes. Instead, he contented himself to hear what was going on around him. Als was the first one to speak to the demon who had entered.

"He woke up a while ago and Seraphina indulged into her useless pampering again. Besides that, he just has a small fever. On the good side, he speaks demonic."

"Is it really useless after whatever cruelty Stirbargen's Mad Dog made him go through, Als? His fever is not all that small. I believe it's caused by his lack of control over his own power."

"You could've waited until we spoke properly with him. Just wake him up already. I bet he's already awake, anyhow."

It was strange just how the events of a past that would never come back were repeating themselves in a strange, almost surreal way. And he could not get his mind out of it. Would the person who entered be as strange as Nurelth? It was a possibility, considering they all served the same goddess. It would be too much to expect out of demons, he thought, to simply be given a way out. There certainly was a reason why his hands were tied, after all. A reason why he was knocked out and separated from Adelaide. He wished she had had the time to run. Unlike Yullr, she was fully aware.

Seraphina put gently a hand over his shoulder, calling him to wake up softly.

He appreciated her attempts at trying to make him more at ease, but how could he trust anyone who spoke demonic even if they put on a familiar face? If even an elf with the trace of a family crest over his wrist could inflict unspeakable evil to other elves, why would anyone who sided with the demons be any different?

Darhan opened his eyes, clenching his fists powerlessly at the thought of what this calm would lead to. Elves chained slaves and prisoners. Demons should not be any different. As he got up to face a half-snake half-human priest, he only wondered which one of the two he was going to become, from now on. Darhan thought that neither of those options could possibly be worse than what he had already gone through.

A feverish shiver ran down his spine, but he kept quiet; Darhan was simply staring, waiting for the man he assumed to be Zephyr to announce his sentence.
Phant0m

****
Yullr Myrwinn​

With Kuvira by his side, the young elf was muttering spells of his grimoire, watching as one of the soldiers he revived himself got back on its feet, soullessly swinging a wooden spear. The movements were sloppy, like a poorly attached puppet on a stage. He took a deep breath, focusing the incantations he innately knew to ease the burden he would take by making another corpse enter its mediocre battle stance. Undead pixies fused themselves with the body, forming a small layer of frost over its skin and its eyes opened, more aware than those of his "partner". Yullr felt he was increasingly losing his control over the frost soldier, but he was not going to give up. He had to prove himself to Ran and the rest. He could take charge of an entire unit. He could do it.

The frost corpse glared at the other puppet, expertly pinning him down with the elven techniques taught to every noble of Myrrh. The decisiveness of each strike was all too familiar, so much so he stopped feeling the increasingly chaotic spell unraveling around him. It was a glimpse at the past, real, twisted....

The setting sun made Chulainn's armour shine in blue, stained by the black blood of the undead. Yullr smiled, reaching out to the Guardian he trusted. But he was pushed back, taken by a pair of strong arms, yelling a distant name that wasn't truly his.

"My King! Stay back!"

Kuvira had pushed him back from the frozen claws of a monster that barely looked like the corpse of an elven soldier. The pain of the demonic magic carved on his skin cast away any remains of memories and ancestral trust on those who had sworn to protect their lineage. The Scout he had brought unnaturally back from his grave fought with equal, if not more, expertise as the corpse, using his fangs to absorb the magic that had animated the monster he had revived. The young king froze, afraid of both what he had seen and the magic that burnt his neck. Yullr passed a hand over his neck, helplessly trying to ease his own torment. But, as it always did, the pain faded away. Kuvira passed his ice-cold arm around him, his cold, dead eyes almost showing the same emotion as if he were still alive. Yullr put his hand over the new protector, the one he had created. Somehow, the touch of death was more comforting than the glimpse of a memory, perverted by the ancestral magic he had been taught to call a blessing. For the first time since he revived Kurlainn's corpse, Yullr clung for his protection, a gesture he thought to have already lost as he had gained his new demonic name.

"Why am I doing this?" he whispered, trembling at the sight of the inanimate monsters in front of him, "This...this isn't spiritual magic, this isn't what my family..."

Yullr trailed off his sentence, turning his open hands in front of him. The delicate, intricate runes that spelt the name of his family, the golden carnations blooming in a chain above and below the runes of his family name, all of it was completely twisted. The carnations looked like chains, binding skulls of elks in dark, indigo traits. And the runes of his name, which had once spelt Myrwinn Sar Silwan, The New Lineage of Nobles in Myrrh, were blurred by streaks of those same horrible chains. The runes themselves now spelt something very different: Varwinn Er Raiwan, The Banished Noble.

"King Ulysses..." Kuvira murmured, strengthening his grip around him as the young king began to tremble.

Yullr had embraced the power the demons had given him, he had rebelled against those who had not helped him, he even pushed Darhan away, refusing to offer him the same helping hand before it was too late...but he never thought he would have to leave everything he had been before behind.

If Yggdrasil himself had taken away from him the very name that had defined his position as King of Myrrh, the very knowledge and power that set his family apart from the rest of the Myrrhian elves, what was really left of his right to call himself Yullr Myrwinn?

"Kuvira..." he muttered, "am I still your king?"

The young adult squinted at him, "Of course. My desire to serve you goes, perhaps, beyond what few weeks I have been by your side. If you were not my king, how could I feel that way?"

Yullr asked his protector to show him his left arm. Although he found the order strange, Kuvira obeyed, pulling up the sleeve that was covering his arm. Yullr had a sad smile at the sight of the twisted Family Crest of the Myrlenns over him. Kuvira, although he did not realize it, was exactly like him: given another name and now unworthy to keep his old one.

"You're right, Kuvira. Sorry for the silly question."

The Lost Soul shook his head, "Not at all, your majesty. More importantly, are you unhurt? You seem to be sweating a lot."

"Ah, I might have gone a bit overboard today. A good rest will give my mana circuits the rest they deserve," Yullr said, trying to get up, but finding his legs to be as weak as parchment, aching under the strain of an overload of mana, "I....might need your help to get to my tent."

Kuvira nodded, lifting him up with ease until he was comfortably sitting on his shoulders. It was higher than what he had expected and, with all the destruction caused by the demons, he could almost see the horizon as well as he had seen it back when he had first met Darhan. The memory made him chuckle, his thoughts replaying the silly things he had said, the long game of war he had played with Kuvira, when his name was still Kurlainn Myrlenn. Back when Kurlainn was simply Alma's younger brother and Alma herself was only the girl that seemed to be really good friends with Darhan. It all seemed, to Yullr, that those blissful moments had gone away only a short eternity before this very day.

And before long, Yullr found that his vision was blurred away by tears.

How time had passed...leaving nothing but memories in its wake.

****
Morgana Weiss
​

The first member of Ishmael's court had had enough of watching the goddess of the El delay the inevitable. History was repeating itself and she no longer had, as a divinity, the power to speak to Yggdrasil about the worrying situation all across the elven world. If they were not careful, the Lost Lineages in this war would be far more than during the Warring Era. In fact, Morgana had enough reasons to speculate that there were only Lost Lineages in Myrrh. The demons had had more than enough centuries to replicate what their god had tried to accomplish long ago: Pervert an elf's name and identity. She had seen it with the last pureblood heir of the Werdvengea.

Inside her chambers, a table of white stone laid in front of her as she sat comfortably in a sofa, waiting for her guest to arrive. It was not long before the most quiet and timid knocks at her door interrupted the perfect silence inside.

"Come in," she calmly called, serving two cups of White Lotus tea. As she expected, Ren was on time and strangely nervous about the invitation. She could see it in the way she took small steps to the couch on the other side of the table, the way she put her clenched fists over her lap and sat straight as if she was being interrogated by some inquisitor.

"At ease, Ren," Morgana calmly began, putting the teapot carefully back in place and offering one of the delicate cups to Ren, "You and I are on the same standing now. I have no power over you. In fact, I remember this was an invitation, not a convocation."

"Oh, well..." the young green-haired druid replied, grabbing her cup just a tad too hastily, betraying once more her uneasiness, "I...don't think I can quite see you nor Kalazar as equals as easily."
Ren took a sip and if she burnt her tongue, she did not let it show, "I mean, you've been my commanders for so long. I can't help you wanted to meet me because...I might have done something poorly again. And considering I'm so new and the situation at hand, I can't help but feel that I need you to guide me, so I can serve the goddess as a competent member of her Court."

Morgana raised an eyebrow, both intrigued and surprised to see that Ren saw her so highly. If things came to worse, this was perhaps the best-case scenario. Ishamel could refuse all she wanted the gravity of keeping her Court at risk, but Morgana hoped she would easily convince Ren. She was perhaps the last gateway to make the goddess they both served see reason.

"You're doing very well, Ren,"

Morgana noticed the stupidly obvious grin on Ren's face before she straightened it with another sip of tea. It made Morgana smirk, "I know I don't compliment you often, but that was before you were part of this Court. Your responsibilities as a warrior mean something far different now. They go beyond what you can bring to the table combat-wise."

The Naiad goddess picked a small spoonful of sugar and poured it in her cup, stirring calmly as she continued to talk,

"We, The Court, have the duty to be the guides of our goddess when she seeks to involve herself in mortal matters. We must make absolutely sure she does not take any wrong decisions and be there to protect her if there ever was, once more, a conflict among the gods. Because of that, we have earthly origins. None of us were created by our goddess and so we can think and speak in ways she would not. In ways that are oftentimes the better way than the way she would think, speak and act on her own."

Ren nodded, knowing her monologue was not over. After a sip of the sweet, mellow tea, Morgana finished the roundabout to get to the heart of what she wished to tell the youngest Court member, "Have a room of identical people to decide any matter, they will commit the same mistakes in different ways, because even gods are only one entity, one single list of flaws, limitations, habits and powers they cannot change. The elves, for example, have understood this very well. Hence their power is shared among clans that think differently from one another, be it the Avariel Kingdom, the Myrrhian Kingdom, the Resiam Empire or the Forest Elves. Tell me, Ren. Do you remember what I taught you about the disaster that struck the Myrrhian Kingdom long ago?"

The green-haired warrior nodded, "The demon forces ambushed the family heads of the Werdvengea, the Rovimir, the...uhh...Selerania and the Vayari. I believe they killed off the whole Werdvengea clan, because they were the Watchers. The eyes and first defense of Myrrh in case of an invasion. The other clans died off when Selene The Moon Hound was corrupted by Henir's Order."

Morgana nodded, "Yes, as far as Elrios knows, the Myrrhian Kingdom lost a lot of its most important members. Some of which worshiped gods that are only known in old legends by now."

Ren's eyes widened, "But...who? Yggdrassil, Henir, Elria, Ishmael, Xiopetec and Sult are the only gods alive and in legends."

"Now, yes. But I have been serving our goddess for a time where other tribes held beliefs of their own. The Naiads and the Werdvengea were part of those who believed in a whole different pantheon of gods, Elria being their most powerful goddess. But that's not the point. The point is that Sult, being the power-hungry god that he was, wished to find a way to pervert the gifts of other gods towards their followers."

Ren frowned, "That's impossible. Why would he ever pursue something so absurd?"

"It sounds absurd, doesn't it?" Morgana had a sad chuckle, "but I watched, in all my years, how they succeeded to not only capture a whole clan but pervert its last pureblood into a shadow of what their clan was supposed to stand for."

From disbelief, Ren's grey eyes filled with apprehension, "How?"

"Through bloodshed, of course. Of both demons and Werdvengea. Until the sacrifice of life held a hatred and anguish so great that it became a curse so great it broke the last threads of the Werdvengea. And this was after four generations of sacrifices. Sadly, it had to fall on the life of a child. Barely old enough to know his name is Sylfer Werdvengea. And he was branded with that hatred, given the name of a demonic lineage."

"Branded? But no brand can erase the teachings of his family's ancestry, right?"

Morgana shook her head, taking a longer sip of her beverage, "A child that young put under such strain could not help but succumb to the power of the brand. After slaughtering the demonic lineage who branded him, a more powerful demon had to stop his rampage even if that meant leaving the child with incurable burns. And, since then, that's the only demon who can stop the machine of death and hatred they forged. The first success in doing what Sult could not. And for demons, revenge is all they need. They only need people like Sylfer to get this realm to its knees."

Ren was fidgeting in place, confused and perhaps rightly afraid of the situation.

"Morgana...what should we do, then?"

"Ren, we, need to make Ishmael listen and take sufficient measures to stop other lineages to share the same fate as the Werdvengea. It might be too late for the Myrwinns, but the Irisse and all the Avariel clans are in immense danger. We can stay quiet no longer. Our goddess needs to speak with Yggdrasil and stop this future bloodshed dead in its tracks."

****
Raicaeth Irisse
​

The youngest son of the Irisse was terrorized to see a single demon taunt them with such unspeakable cruelty. It made him wonder what kind of treatment they gave to his brother, to Raicaeth and, most importantly, to a king as young as Yullr. But who was he to help any of them? Raicaeth was too far away. He would have to be some kind of god to go in the blink of an eye to his former home to either destroy the wild hope he had of finding his brother alive or tell his sister the good news.

In the meantime, he was thankful the demon seemed to be alone and, on his own, was not powerful enough to negate the power of dozens of trained Caluso and a dozen more golden harpies. Seeing the riders and villagers frozen in horror for a moment too many to be safe, he put a hand over the two riders and ordered them to come along and speak to the War Alliance between Caluso tribes and the Sanderian Khalife. The two riders were perhaps too shocked still or startled by the situation, but, even if he had not seen war, Raicaeth had learnt the cruel ways of the desert. Here, daily life was a battle in itself for most people. In times like this, it was even more so.

The teen of Myrrh guided them through the alleys and boulevards of the town until they reached the palace where Al-Sayyid Ali and a few of the neighboring Caluso tribe leaders were already waiting for their arrival. Those who could not be there had empty seats where a simple communication orb laid on the table, next to a wooden plaque where their names were engraved.

Raicaeth was relieved to see his sister's orb was lit up, meaning she had answered. She was still safe and sound.

"Welcome, friends," Al-Sayyid Ali Landar began with a smile, sitting on the end of the table. He gestured servants to pull three empty chairs for the newcomers. Raicaeth sat on the chair behind the plaque with his name in complete silence. The other two riders finally sat down on the table and the friendliness of Sander's king was now colder, more reserved.

"We are glad to have you in these difficult times. But every man around this table needs to know exactly what journey brought you here. We did not call for your help yet."

Late

 

[Late]

Sol
​

He wasn’t sure what he should be looking for. With Infernal by his side, it was easy to look through the dark rooms of the massive building. Especially easy to find the library of their records, history, and teachings. The only issue was that every book he picked up was information he already knew about. History about their establishment to the world, specifically the demon realm, how the king conquered the whole realm, their relationships with other entities of the world, how the king’s core was made. Then there were teachings of the fire element, volumes about the netherworld, relationships with familiars and other creatures. Sol glanced down at Infernal at that one but he kept searching around.

It came to a point he searched the whole library and knocked over a bookcase out of frustration for having to go through similar materials. He decided to take a break from searching around and sat down on the rumble as Infernal lay down with him. Sol began to think back his interactions with the king as silence settled in.

“I believe I made the right decision to have you as my retainer…”

Sol glanced at the king as he was standing by his throne, holding his helmet under his arm. “Is it because I am quiet?”

“Not only that, but you are very observant and you only speak when necessary. Sometimes...I think you could see through the lies,” the king rumbled, cocked his head to stare at Sol. Sol leaned back slightly to avoid the horns hitting him.

“I’m just doing my job to please you, your highness,” Sol replied with a small shrug.

The king grunted and focused back at the entrance to the throne room. They were waiting for a visitor. “That’s what everyone is trying to do, but they’re all doing it for themselves. Especially if they fear a severe punishment.” The king let out a sigh. “Tell me, Sol, do you prefer to be told the truth or the lie?”

“The truth of course.”

“Even if the truth is ugly and goes completely against your beliefs?” Sol found himself unable to answer right away, clearing his throat as he thought over the question. “Your silence tells me enough….someone once told me that individuals believe in the little lies so they can believe the big ones. Perhaps, that is the notion this kingdom is built upon.” The king stands up from his throne, the flames around his head burning bright. “Sol, if you ever wanted to find out the truth, and only the truth, I suggest you pay attention to your elders.”

Sol snapped out his thoughts when he heard a glass drop in the library. He immediately got up with Infernal already checking on the intruder. However, he didn’t hear the animal make any growls or snarls after going around the corner. The soldier quickly follows after his pet and was surprised to see two familiar faces.

“Pyria Odresh…” Sol addressed the dark elf, somewhat in disbelief that she was still alive after the kingdom fell. He knew he heard from Morzen that she managed to escape throughout the invasion but Sol figured she would get caught.

“Sol Hellfire, it’s nice to see you still alive,” Pyria said lightly, glancing down at Infernal. It still bothers how Morzen happened to come across this particular elf. Their characteristics are contrasting and yet, they seem to stick like magnetics.

“Aye, figured you would still be fighting till your last breath.”

“For your age, Jergon Alnitak... I figured you would be first for your lights to go out,” Sol sighed, staring at the other man.

He was a strange one, his body mostly covered in armor and having a cloak with a hood as his only clothing. His skin was close to a red color, having an eyepatch over one of his eyes and several scars all over his face. Jergon stared hard at Sol with his only eye and Sol found himself looking away. He has no idea how much Jergon went through since he was banished out of the kingdom but he does know that Jergon happened to be one of the first 50 who settled in the demon realm.

Jergon let out a heavy sigh, glancing at Pyria before focusing on Sol. “I’ll be honest...I was hoping to not see you but here you are, standing before me,” muttered Jergon. “Looks like a lot happened since I was banished. I suppose we find a decent room to talk over things.”

“...mind telling me where you have been through all these years?” Sol mumbled as Jergon was already trying to walk ahead to look for a room.

“Let’s just say that my final destination was within the Sourcream territory,” Jergon sighed heavily. “Specifically, in a castle.”

Lucius
​

“With all due respect, we’re not exactly here to help you,” Kili said bluntly.

Lucius flinched slightly, knowing very well that his leader was a bit upset with the demon ordeal. Not to mention they lost a decent amount of lives, especially those who were close to Daniel. He knows for a fact that this was going to damage him till the mission is over, but what’s new nowadays for him? Definitely not the first time lives were lost thanks to him.

“A couple of weeks ago, we were given a mission to fend off a couple of demons that have been raiding their town constantly for nasod equipment and weaponry. Logically, they could handle themselves with those machineries against low ranked demons but they were being led by three demons which fire is their main element. We helped them get rid of the low ranked ones but couldn’t find their commanders, so we stuck around with these people longer than usual.

“Eventually, a neighboring elven kingdom fell to a large scale demon invasion. I do not know much of the kingdom and who was ruling there, but it is without a fact a tragic day in history. Since the demon invasion, it was deemed too dangerous to leave these people so close to the war zone so I took it upon myself to help them evacuate and head toward our home where they can have a refugee. We have been sending messenger birds back to our base for more help but...it’s best to assume those messages never got there.

“We have been traveling for about two weeks, and we started off with three of us. As if now, we lost a rider in our travels and this happens to be the first village we come across to. The desert is a dangerous land to travel through and yet, it is the quickest way for us to get back into the dragon’s main territory. Only two fire demons are chasing us, and the most they have been doing is scaring off the prey and frightening the people away from any water source. This happens to be the first time they took a few lives…”

Kili let out a heavy sigh, scratching the back of his neck. “Though, I must ask since we have been with no communications for quite some time...what do you mean by ‘we did not call for your help yet’?”

MementoDei

Aria
​

Aria wasn't sure what to say or do exactly. Standing before her was an actual goddess and she feels too stunned to reply back to her. Not to mention the fact that Sol seems to know well enough about where she is in the demon realm. Was she a casual goddess or something? Either way, Aria found herself clearing her throat and blinking a couple of times.

"...are you real?" She questioned her, feeling out of place for hearing a language she is most familiar with in the demon realm. Aria figured Elrian doesn't really exist here.

Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec​

Xiopetec blinked and then she giggled. "I am!" She answered. The goddess fixed her hair and she regarded the human with amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Your goddess in the flesh, and here it is safe. No need to be shy, child."

Late

Zephyr​

Zephyr looked the elf warrior up and down with scrutiny. "Seraphina's right," He said and he folded his arms across his chest. "Silent one you are. It's fine if you don't want to talk, that means I'll know I have your full attention with listening." He paused for a moment, watching Darhan's reaction. "I'm going to be candid with you. If you're expecting the hell that you got from Stirbargen's Mad Dog, you're wrong. That's not how I operate, but whether you decide to believe that isn't up to me. I don't expect trust from you, and I don't have much trust in you either. Your hands are going to be bound, but that's all I need to bind."

He adjusted the sleeves of his robe and continued. "If you need any food or drink, let Seraphina or Als know. Otherwise, you'll just join us at our meal times and get to know some of your other brothers and sisters."

Zephyr shifted his focus to Als and Seraphina. "Make sure he bathes before then."

Then he looked back to the elf warrior. "You're officially a member of this cult, so you'll follow our routines and practices." Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Any questions?"

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Darhan Irisse​

He stared blankly at his new captors for a second, covering his corrupted family crest with his hand, "I just want to bathe by myself. If you'll allow it, of course."

Another shiver ran through his spine. He was burning, but it's not like he could do anything about it for now. So, Darhan grabbed the covers as best as he could and tried to put them over his shoulders. Seeing him struggle, Seraphina helped him cover himself better, much to Als's annoyance. The elf gave him a smile, but Darhan simply nodded to thank her. He was only a slave now, helped by others just out of pity. Or perhaps not even that. He had already killed and served for his kingdom, how would this be any different? Well, he thought to himself, he could not speak as a proud noble anymore. That just was no longer true. He had to speak like the servants spoke to his family when Myrrh still stood.

"Other than bathing and eating with your followers, what should I do to serve you?"

Als shook his head, "He's far more gone than I thought."

Seraphina's eyes widened, "Brother, you are part of us now! You're not our slave!"

"What's the difference? I already know what demons capture elves for. You killed and plundered everything I held dear without batting an eye," He clenched his family crest tighter, "You perverted my lineage's knowledge and powers to your image. You took away my ancestral weapon and tortured me until I agreed to betray my king! So, tell me! What's the difference between being on your side and simply accepting that you own my life and that you can do whatever you please with it?!"

He surprised himself at his anger, but he could not stand looking anyone in the eye anymore. Darhan took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. "My apologies. Simply tell me what else I must do. I do not wish to waste your time."

Phant0m

*****
Raicaeth Irisse
​

Raicaeth raised his hand over the table, looking at Sander's ruler. The Sayiid of the Sanderian Khalife nodded, giving him his permission to answer. The elven teen nodded with gratitude and looked at Kili, "You may or may not know this, but my kingdom has had an alliance with the Sanderian Khalife since the first awakening of Behemoth. We came to know that our allies had been victims of strange magic waves and, after the loss of the Great Library, Al-Sayiid Landar contacted us so we could recover the lost knowledge and help them seal back the magic we assumed came from Behemoth."

"That was our mother's mission," Amaranthia spoke from the orb, much to the Landar's disapproval. However, because most of the men were Caluso, he did not stop her from explaining, "But it became clear soon enough, after her death, that the magic around here was not from Behemoth. It was completely foreign to Elrios. That's how we discovered a century and a half ago that demons were plotting an invasion. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say the world did not unite fast enough and that's why my brother and I have no home anymore. Just like the people you brought here."

Raicaeth nodded, "As unfortunate as the current situation is, our family's honour is in defending both our kingdom and its allies. Hence, we have done everything we can here to prevent the same disaster that destroyed our kingdom to repeat itself here. So far, everything is under control. But, after what that demon did, I'm afraid we must reconsider how safe we are."

The ruler of Sander frowned, "Kili did mention they took lives. Raicaeth Irisse, please tell me what exactly happened."

The young elf nodded and retold everything he had seen with exreme precision, using mana threads to recreate a map of Sander itself and the deserts around it, as well as the faces of the demons when he had seen them. To an outsider, his work was on the level of a genius, but Raicaeth had simply inherited the observational skills of dozens of previous generations, only adding more talent of his own. Once he finished, the last known status of their battle was visible: harpies circling with their bladed rings above Sander and a shield powered by Windstones protecting the capital.

"I believe the key to protecting this place lays in killing those two lone demons fast enough before they call for reinforcements. Because by that point, we may not last much."

The Sayyid nodded gravely, "And with the menace of the undead, we don't have much time at all."

Raicaeth frowned at him, "Sayyid, with all due respect, I thought we all agreed to not mention dire speculations in front of other allies until we confirmed it was true."

"You only put that rule because it's your king and kingdom who went rogue. I understand you still hold some loyalty to them, not to mention your brother...uhh...Darkan is still missing, but I alone decide what I say to my allies."

He was faced with disapproving frowns from the Caluso tribe leaders around him, but they did not last long enough. With a heavy sigh, Amaranthia spoke again.

"Yes, you are correct Sayyid. But as far as we know for now, all of that information could be part of some demonic trick to make us panic and surrender. I strongly advice you to not spread that panic until we know for sure, Elrianode Riders."

Late

 

[Late]

Sol
​

Sol silently watches Jergon walking back and forth in the room they chose to discuss. It was a guest room of some sort, and it was rather left untouched until Jergon began to gather up fragile materials to kindle. He glances over to Pyria who is leaning against the doorway, quiet like always. The dark elf didn’t pay too much attention to them at the moment, playing around with a small dagger in her hand. For sure, her mind was somewhere else.

“Ahem.”

Sol looks back at Jergon who finished his gathering and had three chairs ready for them. He sighed as he went ahead to sit on the chair, folding his arms as he watched Jergon getting the fire going. Infernal next to him seemed to know what to do already and went ahead to wrap himself in the ongoing flames, keeping the element contained from spreading and overall, making it possible to have a campfire indoors.

“Heh, useful like always,” Jergon commented with a small grin, ignoring the small growl from the spirit as he gave him a brief pat on Infernal’s head. “Now that we are settled…” Jergon sits in his own chair, taking off his hood. Sol glances at the base where his horns meant to be, frowning at their jagged surface as it seems the horns were snapped right off. “...we can figure out where to start,” Jergon mumbled, scratching his chin. “How about you pick, Pyria? If you don’t mind, Sol.”

“Not at all...I’m sure there is a lot to discuss about…” Sol said, turning his head to look at Pyria.

Pyria stares back at them with uncertainty and takes a deep breath. Sol could already guess what the elf is thinking about at the moment. “How about we work our way backward? From the current events towards the past,” Pyria said, putting away her blade.

“Hm yes...I do wonder what you’re up to nowadays, Sol,” Jergon mumbled, staring hard at the soldier as the dark elf finally took her seat. “I know the kingdom fell and I know the king is dead. However, I did not hear much more than that. So tell us, Sol, how are you still alive and what are you doing now?”

Sol glances between Jergon and Pyria before focusing on the flames in the middle, frowning. “Isn’t it obvious? I am currently a war slave,” Sol answered, showing them briefly his slave mark. “I am part of Stirbargen’s army.”

“Stirbargen, huh?” Jergon questioned, narrowing his eyes. “I thought the red demon king was a close ally of the Hellfire.”

“See this mark as a protection seal then. There are a handful of demons who want to get rid of the Hellfire line for good, but Stirbargen...well, who knows what he wants from us. No one knows what goes on in that head of his. Only he can give orders to us and only he can give us judgment. As if now, he asked us to listen to Ran, the demon commander leading the war in Elrios.”

“War?”

“Yes...we invaded Elrios a month ago and so far, Ran’s troops have taken down an elven kingdom. I don’t know many details since I was tasked with something else.”

“I see…” Jergon appears troubled by this, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “War on Elrios...just think how we could’ve…” he mumbled quietly.

“You said ‘we’, Sol. How many more of you there are?” Pyria intervened, casting a worry glance at Jergon.

“...Nixon and Morzen Hellfire. We...are all there is,” Sol said, looking away briefly as Pyria seemed to be relieved. “There would've been more if they haven't been so stubborn and prideful. Not that Stirbargen killed them but...they refuse the only help that was offered them and got themselves dead within the next week. The boys are not with me currently because I tasked them to follow a large group of inventors. They have advanced knowledge on weaponry...technology...something that can help the demons win the war if we were to push further on…” Sol paused for a moment as he caught Infernal looking at him. “...well, we assume that we are all there is but there is someone we found. He is a dragon rider, human of course but Infernal sensed something familiar about him. Similar to that of the Hellfire bloodline.”

“Spirits’ instincts are never wrong...anything that stands out about this particular human?” Jergon questioned, his eyes widened.

“He wields a claymore with a strange property within and...has blond hair. I’m not sure if that helps,” Sol scoffed, looking away from his pet. "I haven't spoken with anyone else about it..."

“Good...that's good. You better hope he doesn’t die in this war then, if you want to find out more about this dragon rider,” Jergon sighed.

“Don’t worry...I gave the boys specific instructions to not do anything drastic.”

Morzen​

“Is it just me or are you the biggest dumbass in the Hellfire bloodline?” Nixon hissed as they got back to their temporary camp.

“What did I do wrong?” Morzen huffed angrily, dropping the kid on the ground. He put a foot on his back to make sure the little guy won’t try to run away as Nixon gently put down the injured girl. She seemed to not have much fight left in her and simply stared over at the boy with fear.

“Uncle gave us clear instructions AND KILLING THESE HUMAN ARE NOT ONE OF THEM!” Nixon shouted angrily. Morzen rolled his eyes at him and snorted.

“Why do we need them all alive? What harm does it give to us to at least have a couple in our hands as long they are smart?” Morzen growled out. “Plus, not my fault I can not exactly handle the netherform spirits. When they see chaos, they act upon it to devour everything they see.”

“Okay, fine, I see your point but listen here,” Nixon growled, grabbing Morzen by his coat. “You nearly harmed the blond rider.”

“He was smart enough to dodge. I only got dragon blood on my blade,” the fire demon grunted, holding out his weapon for proof.

“What if he wasn’t smart, huh? Imagine telling Sol that you accidentally killed the human that we supposed to not harm,” Nixon grumbled, letting him go. “What if Infernal was right about him? Another Hellfire line we don’t know about...what if you accidentally killed that off? Huh?”

Morzen glared at Nixon, fire burning at his fists but the demon chose to look away after several seconds. Silence settled over them and it took a while for Morzen to realize there was a kid struggling under his shoe.

"Oh, let's not forget the fact you alarm those desert people. We better come up with a next plan if we want to avoid getting speared through our fucking chests!" Nixon hissed.

Morzen sighed angrily and let the fire go out from his hands before picking up the boy once again just to tie him up.

Kili​

“Of course, we won’t say a word. Right, Lucius?” Kili asked.

“...right,” Lucius mumbled out. “...if we are planning to kill those two demons, then, please let me be part of that plan.”

“Lucius,” Kili grumbled loudly, appearing upset.

“I’m sorry, Kili, but I need to make it up to those people. If...If I paid close attention to what was going on around me and not be blinded by anger, I could’ve saved a lot more lives. I want to make this right,” Lucius explained, gripping tightly on his knees.

“That’s enough...trust me, Lucius, I know how you feel but...revenge does no one good,” Kili hissed quietly, glaring at Lucius. His gaze eventually softened and let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t speak of it again, Lucius...I can’t afford to lose another rider.”

Lucius bit his tongue from saying anything else and yet, he felt anger rising up in him. “You have no idea how I feel,” he spatted out, getting up from his seat and quickly leaving the room.
“Lucius?” Kili called out in surprise, getting up briefly to stop him. However, he stopped for a moment as he sensed something strange and ended up putting a hand on the chair, frowning. “Im...sorry about that. It’s been a while since he did an outburst like that.” He eventually focused back on the people in the room. “There are just a few things I wish to ask of you but I fear it might be much to ask during these troubling times. These people need a place to rest, spare us a couple of hours...water and food if possible, and I wish to send a messenger to home base so we can have more help with our journey.”

MementoDei

Aria
​

She blinks a couple of times before rubbing her eyes, shaking her head. "It's not like I'm shy...d-don't get me wrong, this is an incredible moment for me! Its just...you're so easy to find, honestly????" Aria wasn't sure how she was feeling at the moment if she were, to be honest. "Not to disrespect you, it's just...this is rather casual and not what I expected our meeting to be like,,," She felt embarrassed for going on and shook her head once again. "S-sorry, it's been a rough couple of days for me..."

Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Zephyr
​

Zephyr raised a hand in a gesture to communicate calm with Als and Seraphina. He lowered himself to eye level with Darhan. "What you will do is recover. Your mana is atrocious, and Seraphina and I will get you back to where you were. The rest? That's up to you. Act like a slave if you wish, watch grass grow in your free time, whatever. If you feel adventurous you can stand at my beck and call to designate a role for yourself."

He righted himself, looking between Als and Seraphina then to Darhan. "Actually, I think I like the third option. You'll be my personal hand, that'll surely integrate you into the group." He looked to Als and Seraphina. "You two can help him look more presentable, he can bathe alone if he wishes. Once he's decent, I'll expect him at my tent." And off the priest slithered after nodding at Seraphina and Als.

MementoDei

Xiopetec​

Xiopetec gave a gentle smile. "Yes, I am unusual for a goddess. Frankly, if I am not available and approachable to my followers then what is the point?" She explained and she wrapped an arm around Aria's shoulders, "Now, let's finally get you on the road to recovery. I am nice now, but don't make me become firm with you child."

Late

 

[MementoDei]

Darhan​

He listened to Zephyr's words without even blinking. It was hard to believe a demon would not treat him badly. There had to be some kind of trick behind all of it. But before he could even think of asking him why, Zephyr was already gone. Only Als and Seraphina remained.

"Brother," Seraphina began, "I will go and ready some hot water for your bath, alright?"

Darhan remained in silence, glancing at her seconds later, as if he had forgotten she was even there in the first place. He shook his head softly, "No. Cold water will suffice."

Als scoffed, "Of course, your highness."

Darhan frowned briefly, "I believe I told you I was nobody...Als. Without my-”

The demon sighed, “You really think a single mana mark is all that defines you, kid? Cuz if you ask me, the other three silver-heads like you around here are still existing without them.”

The young Irisse widened his eyes at that, “Other three?”

Seraphina hit Als with her elbow, “Stop that. You know he can’t-”

“I can’t what? Who are those other three?”

Als smirked at his partner, “Hey, ya heard that, I did it. There's some light in those dead eyes. You gotta stop being a mother goose one day, Seraphina.”

The demon pulled a stool and sat in front of Darhan, “First you tell me your name, boy. You ain’t a slave, but the best chance at living in this camp is joining us. I don’t care when you leave or if you stay, but you gotta understand that you put a foot into the military camp right next to us without at least looking like one of us, you won’t last.”

Darhan chuckled, “Death, at this point, is not bad at-”

Als laughed, “Death? You think that’d be the end of you? No, not here. Ran’s training a necromancer. And let me tell you the way that cursed mage brings people back ain’t pretty. It freaks me out. And I’ve seen my share of weird shit. You want that for yourself, boy?”

“A...necromancer?”

Als squinted at him, “You’re not deaf, are you?”

Darhan shook his head.

“Then stop asking the obvious. Now, you wanna know about those other three silver elves or not?”

Seraphina opened her mouth, but she refrained from saying a thing. She picked up a wooden bucket and got out of the tent.

A long silence passed by, Darhan clenched the woolen cover around him, looking down, then to the side, wondering just how he was supposed to answer. He knew Yullr had to be one of the three, and as insane as it was, he did not remember clearly what exactly happened the night he fled. She was perhaps the third one. No. She had to be the third one.

She could wield a weapon and run. Everything he did remember had to be some kind of nightmare. It never occurred to him that, with a necromancer nearby, both her death and his hope to find her alive could have been true.

Finally, he looked at Als, “my name is Darhan.”

Als, finally, offered him a friendlier smile, “Darshan, huh?”

“Dar-haan. There’s no S.”

The man rolled his eyes, “You elves and your cursed names make demonic so complicated. You’re DarDar. That’s it.”

“I...what?”

“You don’t like Darshan, you want me to kill my brain and throat figuring out your name, I won’t. DarDar it is,” Als chuckled, “DarDar. Sounds like some really bad pet name.”

For once, he agreed with that demon wholeheartedly. And it made the name much more inappropriate, “Just call me Dar. Please.”

“Alright. But if you piss me off, you’re back to DarDar. Or Darshan. Forever.”

*****

Raicaeth Irisse​

He watched Lucius go and was disgusted to see some part of him in a human rider. It was childish to go away like that, but he knew better this time around. He knew better, right? Yet, he could still feel the silent grudge he held against Resiam still burning. But this was not the moment to handle things personally. Raicaeth glanced at the Caluso chief to his right. With a nod, the man got up and politely excused himself to watch over the city’s walls. Sander’s Sayyid glanced at the second man leave the meeting, much more silently than the young rider.


“I just hope,” the Sayyid replied, “that he does not do anything reckless right now. Or the man who just left will have to keep him inside by force. As for food, we got our reserves to last a siege for a year. But with dragons and another village in our midst, we might not have enough. Raicaeth, do you know anything about dragons?”

‘Well, I’m not a rider, am I? Ali, you have an expert right in front of your two eyes, don't you?’ Raicaeth thought, still somewhat angered by the way he brought up the situation in Myrrh.

But he knew better than that Lucius. Raicaeth took a deep breath and shook his head, “No, I do not. Dragons have not lived with elves since the Warring Era. But I’m sure Sir Kili would enlighten us on the matter.”

Late

 

[Late]

Aria
​

Aria nodded her head at the goddess and was eventually guided inside the church. She was taken back from the number of followers that were standing by, looking ready to defend their mother goddess. However since Xiopetec appears calm and Aria rather weaponless, they all relaxed. Though, the young woman tensed up from seeing some demonic faces and weapons in hand. She feels vulnerable for a moment but before she could try to run for it, she could feel Xiopetec giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Aria glanced at Xiopetec before giving everyone else a steady glare, taking in a deep breath.

"Right, this gonna take some time to get used to this," Aria grumbled out, settling on staring at the ground.

"What's this, mother? We're having a grand feast or something?" One of the followers joked out loud. "Never had human flesh before."

"...and I guess I would need to learn that stupid language too," Aria muttered quietly.

Phant0m

Kili
​

"If you're concerned about your supplies, I would say that Cornelius won't likely be eating. He could go for a month without food thanks to his ability to regenerate under the moon. Uh, Cornelius is the white dragon, belonging to Lucius who just left," Kili explained, rubbing his chin. "Ivy, on the other hand, would only need water. As a nature dragon herself, water is the best source of energy yet it is problematic under this heat. She tends to drink more than usual if the environment is too hot for her. Despite her temper, however...she would rather let everyone have a share of water before she does. From there, you can see how much you can spare for her. Fujin is a tricky one. As a wind dragon, their diet would usually be various flying and sometimes sea creatures but from what I see, Fujin would eat anything he can. He isn't really a picky eater though he would need a full stomach if he were to fly more often in the skies. I can check on how well he is faring since his last meal," Kili said with a nod. "And...I wouldn't worry too much about Lucius, his dragon is the only reason why he would stick around. If he were to do something reckless, then I'm sure Cornelius would talk some sense into him..."

MementoDei

Lucius
​

'Why did I do that?'

Lucius was currently walking through the streets of Sander, frowning to himself as he was trying to find his way back to the dragons. Everyone around him seems to clear the way as Lucius continued to beeline his way through. His fists was clenching too but after taking in some deep breaths, his hands began to relax.

'I shouldn't have done that...' He thought to himself, stopping at a corner to look around. 'I figured I was grown out of that mindset by now...maybe I'm doing something wrong...' Lucius thinks back to his mother for a moment, on how he lost her so easily and being unable to do anything to take revenge. Yet no matter how many times he replayed that scene, nothing was possible for him to save the first love he lost.

He kept walking around until he finally find his way to the dragons and the other villagers. Lucius did his best to ignore their gaze as he reached to his dragon who was laying by, cleaning his own wound. Cornelius looks up at Lucius when he got close enough and the dragon immediately got up, almost looming over his rider. Maybe a couple of moons and Cornelius would be taller than Lucius without having to stretch out his neck or stand on his hind legs. The white dragon gave Lucius a nudge with his snout, frowning slightly as he gave a couple of sniffs.

"What's that around you?" Cornelius questioned curiously.

"I'm not sure what you mean..." Lucius sighed, stroking the dragon's snout.

"...kinda reminds me of..." Cornelius mumbled but his voice trails off.

"...um, how you holding up?" Lucius asked him, giving the dragon a scratch around his jaws.

Cornelius seem to relax immediately and slumped forward for a moment with the tip of his tail twitching. Lucius couldn't help but smile a bit at the dragon, almost forgetting how upset he was feeling. "Could be better, I did get a cut," Cornelius hummed. "It would probably go away after tonight."

"Yeah...probably..." Lucius took the moment to check the sky as he settled on drumming his fingers on Cornelius' snout.

Sol
​

"Now then, how about you Jergon? What have you been up to these days?" Sol questioned the elder.

"Hiding and running really. It's hard for me to fit in anywhere," Jergon scoffed. "Ah but that was how it was at first. Often I would get caught and slaughtered for entertainment since I can simply come back to life. Then become prey to those bastards." Jergon gently touched his eyepatch. "They sure love a game to hunt for something that can't die completely...however, that did change, didn't it? When I got an arrow in my eye, I noticed I started to bleed. I knew what would've happened if I stayed idled, but I almost wanted to happen. To die just to end my suffering."

"So, why didn't you die then?" Sol huffed.

"If I am suffering, then my time of living isn't done yet," sighed Jergon. "I was able to escape from my hunters, only to learn that I happened to wander myself in a different territory. Captured immediately I was and it wasn't long that I was kneeling in front of Queen Luciela and several commanders. They weren't sure what to do with me at the moment, some wanted to just kill me as others see it unnecessary as I caused no harm. Of course, I was forced to explain myself on why I happened to wander in their lands and where I came from. I was certain they would've killed me right away if Luciela didn't question me on why I was banished. I...was able to live and get myself fixed up."

"What did you tell her?"

"The same thing that I'll tell you eventually, Sol. Don't worry, I only talked with Luciela in privacy so no one else would know the truth about our kind...she is more reasonable than you think," Jergon mumbled. "I eventually became a servant for the time being but when Pyria showed up with something rather urgent, I took my leave."

"Surely she sent someone after you if you became her servant," Sol grumbled to him, narrowing his eyes.

"I would see that as a waste of time. Besides...if she wanted me back or to die, she would've done so by now," Jergon huffed, adjusting his cloak to show the mark on his neck. "I'm sure she knows I won't do harm to her or her demons..."

"Hm...and Pyria? I know you were there when the battle started...I am wondering what you have been up to..." Sol questioned the elf.

"...I'll be honest, I wasn't sure where to go when the kingdom fell," Pyria said with a sigh. "Rejected from my homeland and forced out of my second home, it was hard for me to know where to go. I was eventually found by a group of succubus and... I guess I was fortunate to appear well enough to travel with them to their own way back home."

"Thus landing yourself in the Sourcream territory," Sol said with a small nod. "Then what urged you to grab Jergon? I doubt you two met before."

"That's because before I fleed, Morzen gave me something strange to hold," Pyria explained, glancing at Jergon. "It's...like a broken piece but it reacted when Jergon was close by."

Jergon took a moment to pull out a small metal box from his pocket and showed it off to Sol. He opened it and Sol peered in to look. "This is...a broken glowing gem?"

"Not just any broken glowing gem. Don't tell me you don't recognize it?" Jergon scolded, rolling his eye at Sol.

It did take some time to think over about it but Sol immediately perked up. "A piece of the King's core?" He got up with a sudden surge of thrill and grabbed the box to take the gem.

"Sol-" Jergon warned but it was already too late. Sol had the gem in his hand but it took a second for Sol to suddenly drop it in alarm. The broke piece was...strangely hot to even hold. The gem fell just next to the fire and Infernal jumped away in reaction. "Ah...tried to tell you to be careful when holding it," Jergon said with a sigh. He grabbed the box back and quickly picked up the gem to store it away. "Only the king can hold such a piece, as well for the next heir."

"...am I not blood-related with the king?" Sol questioned with confusion.

"You are but if you drop it like that...then you're not next in line. We never really understand how the king's core work because there has been only one king up until now. If there was no one able to hold such a piece, this would just be any ordinary gem that we all can hold. But it isn't...it burns to hold...so that means that someone out there is our next king and they are likely relatives."

"So either Nixon or Morzen..." Sol said quietly.

"It can't be either of them..." Pyria spoke up. "I remember Morzen clearly complaining about the heat and giving it to me in a box before I flee. He didn't have the time to explain himself but I did heard him muttering something about Nixon forcing him to hold it."

"They probably went to see the king before the battle started," Jergon said, blinking.

"...likely. They were first to be told about the news but...I can't believe either of them hasn't said a thing to me about it," Sol growled. "...I didn't even think to look for the King's core either..."

"I wouldn't blame them. A lot happened on that day and if you happened to hold the core with you, I'm sure it would've been taken away," Jergon sighed. "...though, if both Nixon and Morzen are unable to hold it then it means only one thing."

The room was quiet for a moment and Sol slowly sat back down on his seat. There is really only one person in mind who possibly is their new king.

"It doesn't make much sense. I can't recall a time when the king had a human with him...it's rather impossible, really. He wouldn't go that low," Sol growled.

"I think I have an idea of how it happened, Sol. How about you tell me what happened when the kingdom fell? How did the king die?" Jergon questioned leaning in with a serious look.

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec
​

She glared at the laughing follower. "Watch your tongue," The goddess hissed and a mana cobra appeared at a wave of her hand, and it pierced its fangs into the follower's throat. The group fell silent as they watched one of their own scream and fight against their goddess's mana.

She flicked her wrist, causing the cobra to vanish, and watched as the follower fell to his knees, wheezing as he scratched at his bleeding throat. "You think senseless death is amusing?" She demanded, "I don't." Xiopetec pointed to one of the mages. "Get him out of my sight. He lives, for now. Bring him to the infirmary, I'll be there to tend to him when I can."

Once he was taken out of the room, and the group dispersed to busy themselves, she looked down to Aria. "I can teach you, child," Xiopetec promised, "It's not going to be difficult to learn. I've been told the exposure to the language helps, and when you are forced to learn, you are sure to pick it up quickly."

Late

 

[MementoDei]

Raicaeth Irisse​

He silently nodded at Kili's reassurance. It seemed everyone's main concern was not as big as they had feared. One of the Caluso men looked at the orb Amaranthia's voice had been projected from.

"Kelaino," he called, "There's some of yours who have turned rogue, aren't there?"

The rustling of dust and claws emerged from the orb as it faintly glowed silver. Then, a different woman's voice came from it, "Yes. Five have fled Garpai Rock, headed south of the Wind Valley. If you were just attacked, I must assume they don't know or just found out their so-called saviors are around."

The leader nodded and turned again to Kili with a smirk, "Harpies are about two times taller than me, the wind dragon will have its fill."

"That is a fantastic solution," the Sayyid added with a nod, "I am afraid water will be the biggest issue. The Wind El which forged this desert dried up most oasis. Even now, they're growing scarcer."

"Al-Sayyid," Amaranthia intervened, "There might be more water left than you know."

The monarch of Sander furrowed his eyebrows, "I respected your father, but it seems you have not learnt his diplomacy."

"This girl has the wisdom of millennia in her veins, Ali," Kelaino hissed, "And you want to shut her up? I wonder who deserves more respect. The girl who continued dutifully the legacy of her father or the son of-"

"Leader Kelaino," the youngest of the Irisse calmly said, "We need everyone living under the desert's sun to win this war. I apologize for my sudden interjection, Al-Sayyid. May I present to you a theory to accomodate the needs of the citizens and the nature dragon Ivy?"

The monarch smirked, "Of course. I would ask you wait if I require your assistance in any way before speaking next time."

A short silence followed before Amaranthia respectfully agreed to the demands of the Sayyid. She began to explain that she had discovered that most wind stones had not exactly dried up the rivers and small lakes that had once been in the surface. Their winds had dug deeply into the ground and formed some chambers of water.

"I discovered in the caves underneath Garpai Rock. The water is untainted. I have many reasons to believe the wind stone in the Wind Temple did the same to the river that once flowed there."

"Are you asking me to desecrate a temple?"

"If it means that none of us are weakened by thirst for the foreseeable future, then yes. The process could be made with the least damage possible to the building."

The Sayyid seemed unconvinced, "Oh, is that so? What kind of blasphemous sorcery would you use?"

"Not sorcery," the elven girl replied, "Raicaeth, you know more about it than me."

He did not like to be put on the spotlight when the Sayyid began one of his frequent and annoying displays of outrage, but his sister's idea was surely a huge difference between a much more comfortable fight and risking to lose a lot of men to dehydration.

"Nasod technology is our best option, Sayyid. There are many ways to forge machines to stabilize and keep the temple as intact as possible while we reach the underground water. The same technology will make any repairs even faster to complete."

The monarch tilted his head, "That technology was banned long ago, Raicaeth. Even if we found a way to use it immediately, who's to say that those same machines will not turn against us like history warns us about?"

"I will personally take responsibility such thing never happens," he faced the so-called leader-of-leaders fearlessly, looking him right in the eye, "but if our proposition is far too taboo, I suggest we let every man at this table vote."

'And you know the Kaluso will agree with us. So, you stop your pitiful act or else.'

The Sayyid took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before shrugging, "I suppose that is our only choice. But I would like us to discuss more about how you will take responsibility later, Raicaeth."

Although he kept his cold and simply nodded, Raicaeth felt there was some kind of poison awaiting him. Something he could not back down from.

Al-Sayyid Ali clapped his hands once, "Well, that seems to solve most of our issues. Is there anything else that needs to be addressed today?"

Late

****
Darhan Irisse​

He took his bath in complete silence, with much more questions about what the world he was now living in than before. 3 silver-heads. 3 males, excluding him. One was Yullr, but who were the other two? Kurlainn, Varamil? No. Nurelth was much more likely. But then who was the third? Perhaps it was someone he did not know at all. Perhaps someone from Resiam. It would only be natural if it was one of those Amazon families. They were the ones who always refused the alliance, after all. They had to be all working with the demons.

Darhan got out of the bath, smelling the faint scent of Salsola on him. It had not been that long he last took a shower, and yet, it felt like it was centuries ago he last rested in Adelaide's home. And it seemed like his life before that was so distant it might as well have been the memories inherited from his ancestors. He grabbed the clothes Als had left for him and put them without much thought. Most of the attire was simple, but clearly cut to be worn underneath an armour.

'...I'm going to have more blood on my hands, huh?' he gravely thought as he put on a black hooded cloak over his shoulders. A crimson serpent was embroidered around the neck and hood of the cloak, curling around and showing two heads on each side of the head, both with fangs ready to kill a prey.

The former heir of the Irisse made his way back into the tent, looking at his feet. Suddenly, he saw a glimpse of gold and white. Someone had bumped against him and fell. He was quick enough to grasp the person's wrist and pull them closer to him, preventing their fall.

"Are you...alright?" his voice lost its strength when he saw the face of the person. It was Adelaide, but the shine in her eyes was gone, unnaturally shut down by an elven spell. He thought he had at least protected her.

Darhan let her go and she offered him a smile, which would have been beautiful if she did not have a black eye and the burning mark of a strong slap over her cheeks, "I'm alright, sir. You elves are such gentlemen!"

And, with a small bow, she continued her way to the military camp, trotting like a little girl going home.

'They erased everything about her. Who's to say that's not going to happen to me?'

He turned away from her and saw Seraphina walking up to him. She looked to the side, saw Adelaide and looked back at him, "You know the Mad Dog's doll, Brother?"

"Who?"

"The blonde you were staring at," the elven woman explained, inviting him with a nod to come with her, "you seemed worried about her."

"No, this Mad Dog you keep talking about. Who is he?"

"He is the one who brought you to us. A silver-head with crimson eyes. He is the most disgusting man any of our brothers and sisters know. So, please promise me to stay away from him, brother." she explained before opening the curtains of the tent he was in before. Seraphina gestured him to sit down on an old stool. He did as she asked and took his hood down. Seraphina opened a box and took out a pair of scissors and two brushes from it.

"What are the scissors for?" Darhan timidly asked, already fearing the answer.

"Your hair," the woman explained, swiftly stepping behind him to comb his wet hair. It was a mess of tangles and he felt it, "the shorter you have it, the better it's going to be for you here. It's not every day we have time to comb and take good care of it."

"All elven warriors keep their hair long," he muttered.

"Hm? And why is that?", she mused, pulling his hair painfully as the wooden brush got stuck on a big tangle.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, sorry. Why do silver-heads keep their hair long?"

"It's..." Darhan looked to the side, hesitating for a moment to let a half-blood on the know of what would be obvious to everyone else. But silence was even worse to tolerate, now that he had seen what had become of Adelaide, "It's a matter of honour to our kingdom. As we grow up and prove our skill and loyalty to the Crown, we can grow our hair longer. Elders, of course, have the longest hair."

"Huh...well, with silver hair this pretty, it really is a shame cutting it off."

"Tangled hair is far from pretty."

The woman giggled, "Oh, you haven't seen real bad hair, have you? I've seen soldiers keep entire colonies of insects in hair so dirty it doesn't even look like hair anymore."

Darhan shivered in disgust at the mental image of such hair. Not even in his lowest of lows did he let his hair become so filthy.

"That's why," Seraphina continued, taking the scissors in hand, "we all ought to keep it short."

Darhan clenched his fists as he saw the first lock of hair fall, "How short is it going to be?"

"Just enough to be presentable for Zephyr," she continued as the scissors continued their path, making more locks fall, "I'll keep it as long as I can, alright?"

Darhan closed his eyes, letting a long moment of silence pass between them.

"Thank you...sister Seraphina."

It took about twenty minutes before Seraphina was done. She left him a small mirror so he could look at himself. It was much more shorter than he anticipated, but his hair spiked rebelliously over his head while being fairly long over the nape of his neck. It did not quite cover it completely, he briefly thought about his old dreams to comb himself like a human just to contradict his father's unbendable respect for traditions.

He had gotten what he wanted, in the end. But he now understood that his old whims were shallow. Even Alma, that evening he had loved her, confided that it'd be a shame if he were to cut his hair. It did not look bad on him, not at all. That was what made it all the more unsettling. Perhaps he had always known, even back then, that short hair would fit him. If only it had been in different circumstances...

Seraphina's hand suddenly blocked his reflection. She was holding a silver earring with the shape of two snakes ready to strike, curled around a sword and a silver bracelet of an ouroboros.

He looked up at Seraphina, cocking an eyebrow, "Aren't jewels for women?"

"Not for us, Darhan, brother," she explained with a soothing smile, "These are symbols of our faith to our leader and the goddess. You're going to take a big position, so you need to show it."

He took the bracelet and put it around his right wrist. Seraphina frowned and pointed to his opposite hand. Darhan changed the position of the jewel and she nodded, giving him a thumbs-up before leaning in to put the earring on his right ear. The needle hurt, but compared to the pain of untangling his hair, it was nothing. The elven woman stepped back and she smiled pridefully.

"Now, you look like a true brother, Darhan. Come with me, Zephyr must be waiting for you."

Phant0m

 

[Late]

Aria​

Aria watched with surprise when Xiopetec gave rather a quick punishment to one of the followers and caught herself from grinning. She clears her throat when the goddess spoke to her and gave a small nod. “Exposure to the language helps, huh?” she said quietly.


After a brief look around in the room they’re in, with a few followers casting quick glances at her, Aria let out a sigh. She knows very well that she may never be able to return back to her previous life at all. Rather, it would be impossible for anyone to rescue her at this point. If they assume she is alive, that is. Though the more Aria thinks about it, the more she believes it might be for the best. She doesn’t want to imagine her rider friends throwing their lives away to rescue her.

“...No need to force it onto me, I’ll be willing to learn,” Aria said to Xiopetec, offering a small smile. It hurts but she was ready to accept this new life for now. “So, what’s next for me?”

Phant0m

Kili​

Kili quietly listens through the conversation, having a poker face until the end. Many thoughts were running through his mind but he offered a pleased smile when they were done talking. “Rogue harpies, huh? I’m sure Fujin will be delighted to try something new,” he chuckled, scratching his cheek.


The rider was thinking about their discussion of nasod technology, knowing very well about the villagers they brought along could prove to be very useful if it benefits them for water. However, he was afraid of making a decision relating to them without having a word with their chief. With their current situation, Kili doubts the conversation with the chief would be pleasant.

“A messenger bird to Elrianode Keep. I need to let my fellow riders know about our current situation. As you can see, it is getting difficult for us to reach back home, especially after losing a rider. I would like them to know that at least two of us are still alive, along with the three dragons we left with. It is without a doubt they’ll send a rider or two to help but don’t worry. I won’t share what has been discussed here with them. It’s not my place to do so.”

MementoDei