The people cheered in open welcome.
Many words have made their way from the Wild Halls back down to the common folk of the empire of the dealings and the many extravagant and shocking events that had been. In fact, the name of the enemy who sieged the capital of Silondras was a close second to the drama. A Paladin of Nychta, now turned traitor, outed as one of these new supernatural enemies of this dark order. And the princess of Liontar defends her mother's honor in a formal duel and wins. And finally, the revelation of James' former dealings, crowns give her direct authority in dealing with this Talon by any means necessary to continue their work, now with the power of the empire if need be.
But that was not all the news. In the north, Prince Edlund had not only proven his worth as a knight on the battlefield but also stranded, cut off from any sort of aid from the Paladin Aurelion, and enduring a grueling four-week-long siege hounded by the Zethan hoard of the Boreans, not backing down to protect a new ally in the form of the Morenians. Aurelius plans to advance upon their ancient home and retake it in the name of the Morenians and the Empire. And then, there was Lyse. What was meant to be an ordinary ambassador mission to reestablish a connection with a nearly forgotten trade port turned into quite a bizarre scenario for the Prince. Single-handedly dismantling a smuggling operation and even unearthing yet another of these foes, these gods as they were called, and have even met one of the enigmatic princes of Shi'Ased. In their short tenor as royalty, they have indeed not wasted any effort in proving themselves worthy in succeeding the late name of James Colton and his royal line. And so, on this day that she returns, as there was much interest in speaking directly to the Queen and her daughter, equally so the appearance of the two princes was heavily anticipated as well. As crowds huddled at the entrance to Grimwald, where her carriage deposited Queen Celia, Princess Massia, and their Paladin Novia Sca'tio. They, too, were followed closely by Queen Lizbeth of Hath and the Grandmaster. The more enigmatic few among the noble courts were also hoping to find the Black Hand here, but of course, the elusive servant of the royal courts was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Paladin Lupren awaited their arrival with nearly a hundred sentinels on standby, the black-clad warriors almost seeming eager behind their still metal faces and statue-like posture.
Lupren smiled warmly with both arms extended. "Welcome home, Queen Celia Opal. I am grateful that you returned to us safely, achieving your visions. As you can see, news of your dealings has already made its way to Silondras."
"I can see," Queen hid the grimace in her mind as the roaring of cheering grew more raucous at her appearance. "This is not an occasion to celebrate, not yet. They should wait until we do something actually substantial."
"Well, we have just outed a spy from one of the royal court's mother," Massia noted to her. "Perhaps it is time for a little celebration and relaxation."
The look in her mother's eye did not bode well for any respite for the princess anytime soon. "As I was saying, We have much to discuss in the Sactum proper, with this no member of Theurgy that my son has gathered, and how we plan further. We need to assure our allies in this coming war."
"And speaking of allies," Remmus pointed his sky towards the sky, and sure enough, in the far distance, one could faintly make out specks traveling rapidly across the clear blue skies. Three, in fact. And they were approaching rapidly. The crowd grew silent as the figures became more and more apparent. Two men riding upon white horses with broad wings allowed them to soar from the air, the elusive unicorns bred only on Valoria, unmistakenly marking both of them as Prince Lyse and Prince Edlund. Their platinum armor sparkled in the afternoon sun like they were surrounded by stars, though Edulnd's clearly had been marked by damage. It had taken him hours to fish his armor from the dragon that devoured him. His flaming form metal all the straps and connective plating, but the enchanted platinum was more than resilient; it only took Gray a day to attune new belts so that it was wearable again, though the scorch stains would be needed to be attended to later. Still, just like his brother, he looked the epitome of knighthood as he dismounted his pegasus and joined Lyse in reuniting with their family, even smiling and waving at the crowd as he passed them by. Lyse, by contrast, was far more reserved, giving the barest of acknowledgment to the fact that thousands of people have assembled to see their arrival. This silent endurance also spoke to his own character in its own way, but he did smile small at his sister and mother as they approached and hugged each other.
"It is good to see you two," his mother said with some relief being able to hold both of them in one hug, though as brief as it was. "All has not gone well, I heard?"
"Well . . . " Edlund was apprehensive about speaking on his accomplishments.
"Yes, we do have much to talk about," Lyse nodded behind him, and all were nearly startled to see Ryan standing there. None had really sensed him until the moment Lyse pointed to him. As soon as he arrived with the two princes, it was as if he had disappeared. But once he had been acknowledged, he stepped forward and stuck out his hand towards the queen.
"So your the prince's mom?" he smirked. "Celia Opal. My parents used to tell me stories of you and your husband's battles. Not that I'm a fan, but because of that, you've already earned my respect."
Celia's eyes narrowed for a moment, but then a matching smirk came upon her face. She took his hand and allowed him to kiss the back of her palm. "And who were your parents, young one."
"I hail from House Pesmenos," he said, though then he seemed to drop his familiarity, and his tone became somewhat solemn. That name struck little chords in everyone's memories, a clan of warriors who had devoted their entire house to studying the art of war and combat, becoming a melting pot of all martial disciplines and mystical. But none seemed more shocked to hear that name than Remmus. Lyse noticed the slightest hint of a more precise recognition than even his mother or his aunt displayed. He took a mental note of this.
"Pesmenos?" Lupren asked. "I believed that they . . . your people had been all but slain. All that remains is rubble."
"You're right," Ryan said stiffly. "But I survived, so as long as you allow me my vengeance upon those who destroyed all I held dear, then I will gladly follow you."
"Vengeance upon who exactly?" Makyra asked though most seemed to know the answer already, and thus Celia raised a hand to stop the conversation in its tracks.
"It is clear we do have much to discuss, Ryan Pesmenos, so come, we shall have a place that is far more private for such affairs," she began to lead them deeper into the fortresses away from the crowds. "As for our enemy, Talin, we have at least confirmed that they have infiltrated Shi'Ased, yes?"
"Amond was a Brother of Ten," Lyse said. "A position one can not simply become out of a whim. It takes time. It takes trust. If he was able to get so close to Prince Tanit, then who knows how far Talin has sunk their teeth into the Asedians. And as for this potion that they were producing, the reasons still illude me, but with its properties, it can be used for espionage on a level we are ill-prepared for, twisting the very hearts of men to serve them earnestly. I should know; if not for Ryan, I would have been at the whim of that retched goddess."
"Wait, are you saying this guy saved you?" Massia jutted her finger at Ryan. "That's a first. Can't imagine what Lyse losing looks like."
"That felt like a compliment, but not," Ryan said softly.
"You'll get used to it," Eldund whispered back.
"And what of the Frostlands?" Celia's attention swept straight to Edlund then, leaving him stuttering for a quick response with everything he had learned from the people of Erusland, though he managed to communicate the essential subjects."
"These three volkf, Zethes, Khione, and Calais, does sound rather suspicious, but is that all you have managed to recover?" The Grandmaster asked.
"Edlund shrugged. "Forgive me, I was a little busy with a siege, and the enemy was not very forthcoming with information. At least we know that Talin is a word in their language, so there's that."
"Whether they are also puppets to Talin or independent actors, they will be a pest in this war if they continue raiding the Empire. Before this conflict can start properly, we must handle them."
"I'm afraid there are many things we must handle," Celia sighed. "Though we have gathered another godslayer, others are out there, and they should be our priority. They will all be invaluable in combating their gods. As well as all the resources available to us as the sovereigns of our nations."
"Well, there is no issue in assuring that Hath will do all it can to support you," Lizbeth told her sister. "There is much we can do, as we control the very seas."
"And of course, I will do my best to convince the Council of Torlak to provide aid, but given a little convincing, I'm sure that they will agree that to safeguard our ways, we must, for once, be proactive."
"Then that leaves the tribes of Umani," Novia whispered, almost inaudible from the cheers that were falling behind them as they entered Grimwald Fortress. Lupren preemptively had ordered that none shall follow them once they entered. Thus any ambassador, advisor, or royal attendant was turned away, allowing them o go freely where they wished. For Celia, Lizbeth, and Remmus have so memorized the path to the sanctum it was nearly thoughtless as they traversed the castle, leaving the others to follow tentatively. So they were led deeper and deeper into the heart of this complex and winding fortress until, finally, they came upon a blank wall with an inconspicuous-looking banner. Celia swept it aside, placed her hand against the cold grey stone, and spoke.
"The mountains have laid upon the ocean. The fields have buried the skies."
Ryan felt a bride flash of avra in the air, his bare minimum attunement with magic alerting him that a warding spell had temporarily been broken, and suddenly, a magic circle appeared inlaid in the stonework that wasn't there a moment ago, and the faintest sound of sliding rock and metal could be heard as the brick wall slowly opened for them all, opening to a large stone bridge over a chasm.
"How long has this been here," Lupren said in wonder. "That was Torlakian magic, if I'm not mistaken."
"Who knows," the Grandmaster said, now leading the way across the wide bridge. "Perhaps as long as this castle has been here, perhaps even longer. The history of our predecessors is, for the most part, lost to us, Paladin, yet their legacy is all that more pressing as you can imagine. For eons, we have fought this enemy in the dark, nameless heroes who have sought only to keep separate the realms of gods and man. But now, it would seem that this new age demands change of us all."
"I see," Lupren said softly. "I thought ruling over a kingdom was stressful enough, but this . . . a wonder how James did so without breaking is beyond me."
"We all find our ways," Remmus mused as they came upon the end of the bridge, where to statues of lions awaited them—one of silver, the other gold, but both with ruby red eyes that glowed dangerously. Every hair on Ryan's body stood on end as he immediately sensed it; these statues were cognisant, somehow, and were just moments away from destroying them all before Remmus approached them. "Greetings, guardians of the Sanctuary, Chrysa and Asimi, we bring honored guests into the sanctuary and another to join our cause. We grant them safe passage."
The statues did not move or give any hint of life beneath their metal shells, but Ryan did suddenly sense the danger slowly dissipate as that red glow in their eyes dulled. Remmus walked passed them now, patting them both on their head. "Don't worry; they won't bite as long as you are with us, Paladins. Lyse, Ryan, we will begin preparing you for coming battles with the gods."
"Prepare?" Ryan asked. "How exactly will you prepare us more than we are now? We have both defeated a god on our own, right?"
"That is true," Celia began as they passed by the hall of memories, an extensive room filled with giant bronze statues depicting previous generations of godslayers. "Aphrodite was a foe worthy of her reputation, but she is not at all the most dangerous of her kin. You have only grazed the surface of your abilities, young one; there is a depth to the god's powers mere mortals like us can only grasp in passing. To truly delve into this power, you will need guidance."
"Guidance?" Ryan almost scoffed but instead held his breath as they finally stopped at their destination. A massive chamber, hexagonal in shape and sloping down to a large table at the very center, can easily house at least fifty men, counting the chairs. On two of the walls were small libraries opposite one another, floor to ceiling, with ageless texts to decorate them. And on the three others were other doors leading to chambers out of view. It was not the sight that had startled Ryan, not at all. He had seen grander pictures. It was the feeling of avra in the air. A power so tangible and heavy it was almost hard to bear. The place resonated with the power of the gods, the same as his pendant and Lyse's
"This is the sanctuary," Lizbeth said. "This is where we will meet and devise our plans. It's completely safe from any prying eye of Talin and holds weapons and tomes you will use in coming battles, boy, so take stock. I want you familiarized with all this material. These tomes contain first-hand accounts of our predecessors. They may not be able to teach you more explicit abilities of your pendant, but with some grit, I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"You have two weeks," Remmus agreed.
"Okay, understand I'm not the sort of man privy to asking many questions, but why do I only have two weeks to know all this stuff? Isn't Lyse the one going about collecting the other godslayers?"
"That is why I'm going to Umani, well the first reason," Lyse looked to Novia, who nodded in agreement.
"I would humbly ask that both princes' and their legions come visit Umani to attend a meeting of the major tribes of Umani."
"Our legions?" Edlund asked. "Lyse hasn't even made a legion yet, and mind will no doubt take two weeks to march back from Bastillon."
"Well, that does give me plenty of time to assemble a worthy Legion now, does it?" Lyse said. "Whatever the case, our forces hopefully will only stand as a stance of power so that they know we are serious about this war, but of course, while this ambassador mission is underway, I will retrieve the godslayer residing in Umani."
"What does that have to do with me?" Ryan asked.
"You shall be returning with me to Torlak," the Grandmaster said. "The next godslayer resides there, a student of the mystic arts at one of our many prestigious academies. This will not be simple, however. I have gotten word that among our guilds, there are reports of mages going missing exploring ruins of the old world. I can only fear that Talin is behind them, so I hope for your aid, Ryan Pesmenos."
"Alright," Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm quite adept t exploring ruins, as Lyse can attest to. And if Talin is involved, all the more reason, right?"
"Very well," Celia nodded. "You shall indeed have your vengeance for your lost kin. We shall be well equipped to satisfy that need. But you don't have to do this alone. We have all lost greatly at the hands of Talin, Ryan. And with your deeds, you can prevent others from suffering as you have suffered. If there are any left for whom your heart holds out to, it shall be for them you fight this war, not just the dead."
Ryan nodded solemnly.
"Um," Massia raised her hands, and her mother gave her a gesture to speak. "So what m I to do? Am I going to Umani as well?"
"Of course not," she nearly jumped out of her skin as from her very own shadow, a figure suddenly leaped into view. Een Ryan was given pause; shadow magic was so subtle he barely even felt it before it happened. The old Black Hand straightened his hood before he patted Massia on the shoulder. "You are headed to Torlak as well."
"What, why?" she asked.
"That's where all of our agents are trained, sweetheart," he said. "We can visit the assembly here, but we're tagging along with these . . . godslayers to further your training, so don't think you're skipping out on that, alright?"
"Wait, who are you?" Edlund asked. "I feel like I've been not informed about certain things."
"Long story short, I'm going to be keeping knives from being firmly implanted into your soft backs, prince Edlund. And your little sister here is going to help me. She has a lot of spunk and some skill, but with my guidance, I'll turn her into the perfect asset to our cause. Don't you worry?"
Edlund whistled. "Are you telling me you can actually make her useful? I'm sorry, sir, but I will have to see it with my own eyes to believe it."
"Says you," Massua snorted at her brother. "How many duels have you won."
"I don't know how many dragons you have slain?"
"None. How many gods have you beaten?"
"Furthermore," Lyse interrupted his siblings bickering. We clearly have a lot to do, and doing it in a timely manner will be to our advantage. We shall assemble Theurgy and prepare for this war. Our enemy will not wait for us, and they will not halt their schemes. We can't rely upon Fate's kindness, and we can only rely upon ourselves, our strengths, our wit, our tenacity, and our wisdom. The road that lies before shall be one of many trials and tribulations, but it is a road we must traverse regardless. We are the First and last defense of humankind, the most effective weapons of mankind."
(X)
Edlund walked the halls of the castle; the last words of his brother have, of course, lingered upon him, as did it so with many. He and Ryan will basically be trapped in that chamber with their aunt Lizbeth and the Grandmaster for the next week or so, and he needs to send word back to Bastillon to mobilize their forces all the way back to Silondras so they can then travel to Arkouda to get ships to sail them to Umani. It perhaps will be much faster if he took Myre there himself. He didn't wish to leave Thyra so soon in a place she was so unfamiliar with, though Gray and Elena promised to make her and the Morenians as comfortable as possible until Aurelius returned. Edlund did want to speak with the old Paladin of this campaign, the failed assault of Morenia, and how likely they are to reclaim it. After what he did to the Zethans, no doubt they would double their efforts to hold the ancestral homeland of their enemies that had slipped through their grasp. They may even mount some sort of assault upon Bastillon in some desperate attempt to push them out of the region or completely destroy Bastillon. Edlund doubts his mind will leave this matter unsettled, even if he was half a world away in Umani. He wondered if he could get away with bringing Thyra along with him. He would need to make her his advisor or something of that nature, but he's sure he can get away with it.
His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Makyra and his sister talking. He saw something strange with his sister. Not like his brother and how he can now sense the power of the gods that came from him, but her demeanor, how she acted. She was just as irritating as before, but over just the month since last they had seen each other, she seemed so different.
"Am I interrupting anything of import, or is this just lady gossip?" he teased.
Massia rolled her eyes. "Just . . . this new godslayer, Ryan. Do you think we can trust him?"
Edlund shrugged. "Lyse speaks highly of his character, and seems like an earnest guy, if not a tad stand-offish, but who can blame him? The guy did lose his entire family after all."
"I know it's just . . ." Massia gave an unsure look at Makyra, who nodded back.
"She is just a bit nervous; he does carry the same powers as Thanatos, strongly so according o her."
"Not just that," Massia said. "I . . . I can't explain it, but he feels familiar. In the same way, I can sense other Makhai, and it's the same with him. You can't, but I can't, and it bothers me."
"What?" Edlund furrowed his brow. "Do you believe him to be a spy, sister?"
"I don't know," she said, a bit frustrated. "I just don't, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on him. I don't trust he's given us the full story."
Edlund rolled his shoulders. "Do as you wish. Just don't try to scare him away; you tend to have an adverse effect upon men, sister."
Massia scowled to hide the faint blush upon her cheeks. "Stop your teasing, it's a serious matter, you oaf."
"Very well," Makyra said. "I will inform your mother and the others of your feelings, perhaps-"
"No," Massia was quick to say. "She'll just think that I'm paranoid because they have similar powers. I can investigate on my own. I am going to be the next Black Hand after all."
Edlund chuckled. "Well, black hand, I'm off to the north. Want anything on my return trip."
"Yes, please fall into a vat of snakes if you wouldn't mind, dear brother," she smiled mockingly as he went along his way.
Makyra sighed again with a bit more weight. "I shall return to your mother's side, Massia. I hope your investigation quells your suspicion. But if not, this does not bode well for us at all. We need not an adversary such as him, I can tell."
"Then let's hope this hunch is but a false one, sister," Massia said as Makyra returned to the sanctuary. She let out a slow breath, then closed her eyes. There were a pair of sentinels not too far away down the hall, clearly guarding her, but she doubted they ill find anything strange in her just resting here for a bit. She needed to have a chat with herself. "Are you really sure, Vermillia."
As sure as the cows do moo, cub, she said. That man is of Talin; you can tell by how he walks and his avra, so chilling. He may not be a makhai, but he's something strikingly close.
"Then I suppose my first assignment as the Black hand is to find out why and what he's hiding," she said.
Will be rather tricky, she said. Subtly isn't one of my strengths.
"Then let us hope it's one of mine."
(X)
"Grandmaster Remmus . . . sir," Ryan cleared his throat. The Grandmaster was in the midst of gathering several giant tomes from the many shelves for reasons unknown, but Ryan thought this was as good of a time as any. He needed answers, after all, and he won't get them by himself; he knows that. "Do you have a moment? I have something to ask of you."
"Aw, yes," he hefted the books into the air, and with a wave of his hands, they floated in midair beside him as he walked towards the table. "Ask away, though I know what you will ask me. It's about your older sister, isn't it."
Ryan nodded. "You trained her, did you not?"
"Indeed," his tone was full of a lost sense of regret. "A talented one she was, the first apprentice I ever took. I was such a young master I hardly knew what to do. But she had this affinity with the mystic arts. She was born for it. A real tragedy to hear she had died so suddenly; I could hardly believe it. Then her family as well. . . it's a mysterious machination of Fate that you are left, Ryan Pesmenos."
"So you know nothing of what happened to her either," Ryan sighed. "I was hoping she might have said something, anything about our family being in danger or hints that maybe she knew about what was going to happen."
"Your family did have many enemies," Remmus shrugged as the books plopped down onto the black obsidian table. "Any mentions of such things, I just assumed it was for the mundane. I believe I would have picked it up if she had been aware of Talin or what would happen. Why? Do you believe that she may have been killed because of this?"
Ryan was silent for a moment. "In a way, yeah. But I also wanted to ask you bout this."
Ryan rolled up his sleeves, revealing his bare skin where the six rings of tattoos were grafted. "Just before she left on that ship, she had placed these onto me. I didn't know what they were, of course, so I wished you to have a look at them. Perhaps they are a clue?"
Remmus looked upon eh tattoos and the many smaller individual magical runes and circles that lay inlaid within the uniquely intricate design. "Impressive. This isn't just Torlakian magic, and this has traces of the old world magic as well."
"Old world magic?" Ryan asked, rolling down his sleeves.
"The civilization that predates our own, before the war in heaven," Remmus explained. "It is the bases of Torlakian magic, though much has been lost to us. Mortals in those times were ar more powerful on average due to their connection to many divine sources of magic, and of course, because of that fact, it's tough to replicate. But here, your sister managed to incorporate it into these seals. Sealing your avra, by what I can tell."
"Why would she do that?" he asked.
Remmus shrugged. "If only I could ask. I can't put my finger on it, but your avra does feel different, almost like there are two separate sources residing within you. Like . . . anti-avra, if that makes sense."
"It doesn't, but thank you," Ryan told him.
Remmus shook his head. "I thought nothing else could baffle me, but here you are young man; you are definitely intriguing. Perhaps we'll learn more in Torlak; some still study the magic of the old world, and maybe with them, we may find answers."
"Yeah, let us hope so," he looked at the spinning globe in the middle of the table. Its black oceans faintly ripple from the simulated winds and tides of the world. Its black surface; he was reminded of his dream, of those pillars, of that creature that spoke in his voice. What did it all mean? He fears the answer will no doubt lead him to many places and perhaps one step closer to his sister's mystery and another to the annihilation of Talin."