And off they went in a spiraling roll that left them scattered, laughing on the grass.

“Lei’ Igro! Lei’ Igro!” the familiar chorus of jeers rang from the group of Cyngan children who had gathered behind. They always followed Suzume and Lucci at a safe distance — far enough to run if they needed to, close enough for the words to still sting.

“Oooooh!” the black haired girl turned on them, her eyes flashing in fury and defense. Her face sweltered as she shook one fist at the group, “Go throw yourself off the Island you jerks!”

The kids simply jeered back, enjoying their game of childish torment. Most of their abuse was cast at Lucci, despite the fact that the silver-haired boy was far bigger than any of them. They had found out a long time ago that Lucci would stand by and take their maltreatment, never uttering a word in retort.

Suzume, however, would not take it. Already she was stalking towards them, pushing up the sleeve of her robe. She gave one last warning snarl, “If you don’t kiss-off, I’m going to throw you off the Island. We’ll see if you can really use those wings of yours then!”

Some of the kids gave her a boggled-eyed stare, seeing her seriousness. Instantly, the group began to break up, a number of them dashing off over the nearby rope. For the most part, the other kids seemed to be more scared of Suzume than they were of Lucci… though it was probably because it was whispered that she was half Marked. Her black hair, black wings and black eyes told the story.

Though Ceiswyr was a beautiful place, the children of the city still acted like the children of the lands below — Cyngan or not. It was a hard place to fit in for a half-Marked girl and the boy who was foretold to become the Sygnus.

The Bane. The Darkstar.

Once they were gone, Suzume huffed and turned her gaze on Lucci, who stood watching her with a detached silence. She had learned early on that the only way he could deal with the endless abuse of the other children was to withdraw and put his mind somewhere else.

I wonder what he’s thinking about? I’d never be able to keep my temper the way that he does!

“It’s okay, Lucci,” Suzume told him, walking up and taking his hand. “They’re just being losers… like always.”

The silver haired boy blinked, coming around at her touch. Then he nodded, a rather absentminded nod, as if he wasn’t really sure what he was agreeing to.

More than a year had passed since Lucci had first been brought to the city of Ceiswyr. And despite the cruelty of the other children and the occasional Esgyll attack, Suzume had never been happier in her life. There wasn’t much that she could remember of her time before coming to Ceiswyr, before she had become dark haired and dark eyed. But somewhere she knew that she had never had a best friend that she loved more than Lucci.

A year had done strange things there upon the Island – especially to Lucci. Though little had changed in Suzume, everything about the silver-haired boy had become radically different. When he had first come to Ceiswyr, Lucci had been a young child, looking not much older than five years of age.

He was once younger than me but… that wasn’t for very long.

It was early on that they discovered how quickly Lucci was growing up. Over the matter of months, Suzume watched as her friend had grown into a lanky and awkward adolescent, far taller than most of the adults that lived on the Islands. And the taller he had grown, the more quiet and distant he had become.

Now, Lucci often seemed lost to his own mind. His lucid-silver eyes wandered over the world as if he could hear and see things that others could not. As a young child, Lucci had recounted facts, memories and information about the people of Ceiswyr — people he had never met before. Because this often left everyone disturbed, over time he had come to stop talking to other people almost completely.

Well, except for me. He’s never afraid to talk to me!

Some people muttered that all of it had to do with Lucci’s “Sygnus nature.” They whispered that because Zerom was “developing Lucci as a weapon,” that Zerom would have wanted the “creature” to have “grown to its full power as quickly as possible.” Sometimes there were quiet murmurs that Lucci should have been done away with when he had been small and unthreatening… that Zemi and Zento had waited too long. That the Bane would be upon them once Lucci “recognized his true purpose.”

Do they think that we can’t hear them? Do they think that Lucci doesn’t know how they feel?

Suzume hated them all. She hated them for saying terrible things and for treating Lucci more like a monster than like a person. And she had made it her business to remain Lucci’s best friend and to defend him where he would not defend himself.

Because I know what kind of person he really is… and they don’t! They’ve never gone out cloud watching with him… or swinging by the lake. They don’t know how good he is at playing hide and seek. They probably don’t even know that his favorite color is blue and he loves Aunt SaRa’s fudge!

She knew from the very first time she had met Lucci that he had wondrous powers. Powers that he had only used for kindness. He had been the one who helped to cure her light-weakened eyes so that she could see without needing to keep her eyes covered. It was when she had met Lucci that Suzume had first felt unafraid to speak, because she was no longer alone there on the floating Islands. It had taken very little time for her to find her voice again and to begin to use it.

Why can’t anyone else see that he’s not bad?

It was espcially difficult because as Lucci had gotten older, both Master TsuYa and Master ZenToYa highly disapproved of allowing him to stay there in the city. In fact, there was one point in time when Master TsuYa had objected to allowing Suzume and Lucci to be friends… but that had been fast contradicted by Lord Zemi and Aunt SaRa.

Though Suzume didn’t understand why, it always seemed to bother Lucci that he could never earn the approval of Master ZenToYa.  Maybe it was because Master ZenToYa tended to be warm and friendly to all the other kids… even to Suzume. But when it came to the way he treated Lucci, he was very stern in speech and aloof in emotion. If Lucci attempted to do good things or to be polite, very often his efforts were straight out ignored. But still, the silver haired boy tried and tried and tried.

At least Lord Zemi likes him…

Lord Zemi had chosen to take the boy in and to raise him by the ways of the people of Ceiswyr. There was a deep sense of adoration between Lord Zemi and Lucci, with the Dreigiau as close as a father figure as could be. The Arweinydd worked to teach the boy the ways of the Earthians as well as one of his kind could — there was a strange sort of understanding between them due to their unusual natures.

It was thought that Lord Zemi was doing everything within his power to prove the old stories of the Sygnus wrong. But despite that, he could not keep his own people from holding to the legends and looking on Lucci with a deep sense of fear and disapproval.

“Lucci..?” Suzume tugged at his hand again, trying to recapture his attention.

Finally, the molten silver eyes focused on her face and a quite smile rose over his features. As if the whole incident with the other children hadn’t even happened. “Do you think Aunt SaRa will have fudge made?”

She sighed, “Is your stomach all you can ever think about?”

“If it has to do with fudge, yes,” Lucci’s grin broadened, becoming teasing in his reserved way.

“Well, I guess it is getting late afternoon,” she gazed up into the sky, judging. Then she turned and craned her head back to look into his face, “It probably would be a good time to see if there is something to eat.”

“I knew you’d see it my way!”

“I did not! I decided it for myself,” she nudged him lightly.

“You just want the fudge, too. Admit it,” Lucci play-bickered.

“You eat so much of it, you’re going to turn into a big fudge!” she retorted.

They did this all the time… but never really meant it, of course. Neither of them were anywhere near as good as Master TsuYa at being mockingly disdainful, but watching him and JouKa go at it day after day gave them quite an example to follow.

“Will not!”

“Yes you will! Then what are you going to do?” she teased.

“Dunno… I suppose eating myself is out of the question,” Lucci noted.

“You’d taste bad,” Suzume added.

“I would not…?”

She giggled and started running. That was the cue for the chase to begin. The two of them raced up over the hills, Lucci’s long legs always keeping him just one pace behind Suzume. He was polite enough to let her win about every time. But today was one of his off days.

“Ahh-hah!” he reached out, catching her. And off they went in a spiraling roll that left them scattered, laughing on the grass.

It took a moment for Suzume to catch her breath, leaning her head back against his chest. Her spirits were high, heart overflowing with the pleasure of his company.  She didn’t need to see him to feel his smile. It lit the hillside, the shifting mists of the day swirling in quiet patterns around where they lay in the grass.

“You two… what are you doing?” a voice drifted down on them from the overlooking hill.

They both lifted their heads, peering up at the serene face of Aunt SaRa.

“We were coming for fudge,” Lucci answered with an honest expression.

“I bet you were,” she replied with a knowing half-smile. Then she eyed them with a serious expression, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you… did you forget what tonight was?”

“Tonight?” Lucci asked, looking puzzled.

Suzume glanced over at him and shrugged, just as confused. Then she turned to shrug to Aunt SaRa to doubly confirm it.

“Just as I expected,” the winged woman gave a sigh. “Tonight is the Assembly, remember?”

“Assembly?” Suzume gaped as it suddenly dawned on her. “Oh no! That’s tonight?”

“Yes, it is?”

Lucci wrinkled his nose in distaste, “Do we really have to go to it? It’s usually just a bunch of grown ups arguing about things.”

“That’s pretty accurate,” Aunt SaRa nodded. “But, yes… Zemi says that you need to be there tonight. I think there’s some important things that will be discussed.”

A lump rose in Suzume’s throat as she began to put two and two together. One hand reached out, clutching the winged woman’s robe, “Aunt SaRa… you won’t let them send Lucci away, will you?”

“What?” she stared down in surprise. “Where would you get an idea like that, child?”

“Why else do they want Lucci to come to the meeting?” the girl replied in consternation.

“Maybe Zemi wants for Lucci to take part in the meeting like the rest of the grown ups? Lucci may have ideas to help us out, too?” Aunt SaRa noted. “He is getting old enough to be acknowledged at the Assembly, now.”

Lucci gave an awkward, sheepish face. He was always uncomfortable when this sort of talk came up, “Well…”

“See there,” Aunt SaRa tugged at the hem of one of his sleeves with a critical eye, “You’re already outgrowing this outfit, too. Pretty soon we’ll have to be borrowing Zemi’s clothes to fit you in.”

He looked down at his sleeves and grimaced. Suzume was looking, too. When he saw her curiosity, Lucci quickly hid his arms behind his back.

“Well, look and see what you can find to fit you that might look somewhat nice for tonight,” she gave them a slow smile. “The both of you. And when you can show me you can come down all cleaned up, there might just be fudge.”

“Okay!” Lucci perked up cheerfully, needing no other urging. Turning to Suzume with a grin he challenged, “Race you!”

And he was off, long-legged strides carrying him like a young Rhawn over the hills. She gave a howl of injustice and chased after him, their shadows intermingling and stretching long across the grass.

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Master SoYa took a step forward, indicating without words that he was now going to enter the Assembly Room...

“Do I look okay?” Lucci asked Suzume, holding his hands out to her for judgment.

He had spent a lot of time fixing the wrap in his hair and was dressed down in a set of light blue and white robes, trimmed with a silver lining. Though the hem was just a little too high at his wrists and ankles, it was really the best outfit he had to wear…. which was no where close to the finery that Lord Zemi or Master ZenToYa wore to the Assemblies.

The collar itches…

Lucci began to tug and scratch at the back of his collar, having just noticed the one fatal flaw in the whole deal. No doubt, something like that wouldn’t go away over the hours that they would be sitting in the meeting.

Suzume nodded, “You look great, Lucci!”

The girl wore plain black robes, long and flowing around her feet, the color dark enough to match her hair and wings. Unlike Lucci, she wouldn’t be taking part in the Inner Circle of the Assembly, so extremely formal wear wasn’t mandatory for her.

I wish I didn’t have to.

Not that Lucci was really thrilled about being called to sit in the Inner Circle. But Aunt SaRa had said that Lord Zemi wanted the boy to start taking part in the talks and decision making that presided over Ceiswyr.

I don’t understand why. No one wants me there.

And that was just the plain truth. Not Lucci feeling sorry for himself or a statement of self-defeat. Just a plain out fact that his admittance to the Inner Circle would likely cause a lot of friction there at the Assembly. Which is why he wished that he could just sit in the little back area with Suzume and entertain her as he had always done up until this time.

“Lucci,” Aunt SaRa had appeared in the doorway. “Don’t tug on your collar, dear. You’ll stretch the material.”

“But it itches?” he told her.

“All ceremonial clothes do,” she gave him a small grin. “It’s part of the discomforts that come with position.”

He couldn’t tell if she was joking or if she was serious. But it didn’t make him like his robes any better.

“Are you ready, now? It wouldn’t be wise to be the last ones into the Assembly Room,” Aunt SaRa gave Suzume’s hair a quick run through with her fingers. And brushed off specs of lint from Lucci’s robes that were invisible to his own eyes.

“…I suppose…” he replied only because he knew she was probably right.

Aunt SaRa gave a nod and one final encouraging smile before beckoning them to follow behind her. The halls were churning with the winged people, all talking in low voices amongst themselves. Very few of the Cyngan were allowed inside the Assembly Room during the time of the Assembly, but everyone knew when the meetings would take place. And everyone knew that the choices made by the leaders of their city inside that room tonight would affect the future for everyone living in Ceiswyr.

Would they stay? Would they flee?

Would defenses be placed around Ceiswyr? Or would they have to quarantine the whole of the Inner Realms?

How far had the hand of Zeromus reached outside of the Cleft? And what were these new, terrible winged creations that the Dark Arweinydd commanded?

They had so many questions… so many emotions… Lucci’s head swam with the buzzing with their intermingled voices. Rarely did he like to put himself in a position that brought him around so many people at once. And the moment that a few stray glances broke from the huddled groups of  Cyngan to focus upon him, the hall grew noticeably more tense.

Please don’t look at me…

Lucci’s eyes dropped instantly to the ground.

There were quiet murmurs of ‘Sygnus’ and ‘Lei’ Igro‘ as Aunt SaRa led the way down the hall towards the Assembly Room. And a deep sense that the people were not very happy at seeing The Darkstar included in such a vital Assembly as this. There was also blame, those who would say that it was because of Lucci’s presence that Zeromus’ creatures now threatened their own peaceful lands.

Few seemed to realize that such a thing would have happened whether or not Lucci had come to live in Ceiswyr.

At least, that’s what Lord Zemi says.

Though despite what Lord Zemi said… it still hurt. The thought that he would be blamed for something he had no knowledge of at all… The thought that the Islands, the only home he had ever had, were in danger and that fingers were pointed at him as the source.

But, they’re wrong. I don’t know what the Esgyll are any more than they do.

Lucci did the only thing he ever knew to do… silently withdraw. Pretend that nothing around him existed. Afterall, nothing that he could say would convince them to think differently… and he wasn’t very good at expressing himself through words. Chances were, if he did respond to their condemnation, he would be seen as proving their point. He would be confirming that he was nothing more than The Bane.

I wonder if Lord Zemi thinks the same as they do. I wonder if that’s why he’s calling me to the Assembly? Does he believe I can give them some sort of information about Zeromus?

He did everything he could to block them out. But it wasn’t easy. As unmoving as he was out the outside, inside of him, emotional blows were falling like rain. Lucci had learned early that he could pick up the thoughts and feelings of everyone around him… and rather than being helpful, he had found it something that made the situation all the more difficult.

He could pretend not to see or hear… but what his mind could pick up, he could not run away from. Every sneer was amplified tenfold within the thoughts of the one giving it. Every blaming glance wrote a list of grievances that spoke his apparent guilt.

But if there is something that I know that they can use to stop Zeromus… then… I’ve got to go the Assembly… I’ve got to try.

Lucci’s eyes lifted from the floor at the feeling of Suzume’s fingers weaving through his own. Holding his hand, as she always did, to let him know that he wasn’t alone. He thankfully gave her hand a little squeeze to acknowledge.

Maybe then, people will see that I’m not-

“Excuse me?” Aunt SaRa’s voice was firm as she brought them to a stop. She was looking at a group of people that stood in front of the doors to the Assembly Room, blocking their way. When none of them responded, she spoke again, “Excuse me, we are going in.”

There was a heavy silence among the Cyngan that stood in front of the door. Their glances were discontent and afraid at the same time… like those who were protesting and well aware of the danger the protest would bring.

When Aunt SaRa recognized this, she her voice grew solid, “What do you think you’re doing? You are impeding the process of the Assembly.”

Lucci glanced around, looking over the faces that peered back at them, unwavering. There were a number of people that he knew of, none of them very well, but all Cyngan who had spoken out against the Sygnus at one point or another in the past. Some of them could be considered rather influential in the Islands… not the kind to stoop to randomized troublemaking.

“I’m sorry, Lady SaRa,” one of the winged men finally answered. An older, more stout man, he seemed to hold an air of authority with those that stood behind him and obviously spoke for the group. “But you know exactly what we are doing.”

“This is foolishness, DeKeiNo,” she retorted bitingly, a tone that Lucci had only heard the winged woman use few times before.  She glared up into his eyes, looking for all the world to have the determination to move him, despite the fact that she was far smaller built than most of the people in the group. “If you have something to say, bring it up in the next Discussion… but do not block the way of the Inner Circle. Or do you want to explain yourselves to Lord Zemi?”

Sheepish, fearful glances were cast around behind DeKeiNo’s back. But no one made a move away from the door.

“There should not be a Sygnus in the Assembly!” someone called from down the hall, obviously encouraged by the steadfastness of the group at the door.

Discontent murmurs broke out over the hall in instant response, agreeing that it would be doom of them all to allow the silver-haired boy to pass the threshold of the Inner Circle. Aunt SaRa’s voice was lost to the flurry of sudden protest. Though her hands were lifted in an attempt to motion for calmness, the agitation of the crowd was more than one steel-willed woman could control all on her own.

I’ve never seen them get this angry before!

Suzume clung closely to Lucci’s hand, pulling up close to his side. He, too, responded in a search for comfort in his friend’s touch, grasping her shoulder with his free hand. His mind was churning, fighting the buzz of terrible emotion and attempting to sort out the massive confusion-bordering-on-resentment that had alighted on almost every face there.

What if they try to hurt Suzume and Aunt SaRa..?

That’s when one voice rose above all the rest. It was a smooth and clear voice that rang with immense power and command, “What’s going on here?”

The whole crowd fell mute and the clamor stopped as a strange tingling rose over everyone within the hall. A single set of footsteps echoed as the silence-tamed crowd began to part, opening  a path for the approaching figure. Lucci turned, half expecting to see Master ZenToYa or even Lord Zemi. But the voice had belonged to neither of them.

A man was making his way towards the doors, looking as unassuming as a person could… when an entire crowd was parting before him. Everything about him held a sense of firmness and control, the calmness and command of an Athrylith. No doubt, it had been his voice that had quieted the crowd.

Master SoYa..?

His robes were long and deep violet, the sleeves trailing down in swaths of flowing cloth to his feet. The design bordered at a happy medium between ornate and simple, embroidered with delicate, quiet designs that seemed to reflect the Athrylith’s nature… one that Lucci had always known to be gentle and kind.

Even to me…

Maybe it was because Master SoYa was Athrylith. And despite his position as the eldest son of Master ZenToYa, there was still the sense of uncertainty that others had towards him… the fear of the Mind Mage and the powers that such a being was capable of. He, too, wasn’t always welcome among the people of the city as many of them still held on to old ways of thinking – rumors that the Athrylith were terrible, mind-sucking monsters.

And though he wasn’t publicly scorned, Master SoYa had always seemed to understand Lucci’s situation. Never had a hard look or chiding word come from the Athrylith. Not even when his brother and father did not approve. Even in facing the crowd, Master SoYa was firm in choosing where to stand.

“Good evening, Aunt SaRa,” Master SoYa greeted the winged woman with a warm smile, as if all the others around him simply did not exist.

“SoYa…” Aunt SaRa replied in a slightly breathy tone, face a bit uncertain at the way the situation had unfolded.

“Hello, Suzume… Hello Lucci,” the Athrylith gave them a small wink and a grin.

Suddenly, though Lucci didn’t understand why, things didn’t feel so bad anymore. Even Suzume did not cling so tightly to his hand, her fears slowly fading.

Mind powers… it has to be…

Master SoYa turned his attention to the group that was standing in front of the doors. Already, some of them had vacated their spots. The ones who were left standing did so with an outward show of impending trepidation. However, there was no trace of anger in the Athrylith’s voice as he spoke.

“Now is not the time to be fighting among ourselves,” Master SoYa grimaced at them. “We have far too many things pressing us from the outside to be doing things like this.”

A few more vacated their spots, stepping away in silence.

“I know that the meaning behind Zemi’s choices are not always clear,” the Athrylith’s voice rose over the crowd one final time, soothing and evocative. “But you have to trust him in knowing that he is our Patron Guide and he wants to protect all of us… and our city… by any means necessary. Sometimes this includes doing things that may seem debatable… but every possibility must be considered, even the unusual ones.”

Master SoYa took a step forward, indicating without words that he was now going to enter the Assembly Room… and that no one was going to keep him from doing so. The moment that the Athrylith came near, the remainder of the crowd melted away, leaving the path to the doors completely clear.

Wow…

As the doors opened, Master SoYa motioned them through and fell in beside the silver-haired boy. “You can come sit next to me if you’d like, Lucci?”

Surprised at the words, the boy nodded slowly, blinking at the Athrylith. The light of gratitude flickered behind his silver eyes.

“Oh, and one other thing…” Master SoYa murmured quietly.

Lucci responded with a silent question mark look.

“If you loosen the fasten-clip on the inside of your collar,” the Athrylith informed him, pulling open the collar on his own robe as example, “It won’t itch so much.”

The boy’s mouth opened wordlessly for a moment, tugging on his collar only to find a similar clip on the inside of his own. Then his voice came in an embarrassing croak, “Thanks..?”

Master SoYa said nothing more. Just a simple grin and a friendly glance. And then they were walking across the Assembly Room towards the Inner Circle.

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His mouth posed in a constant downward turn as if simply breathing the air within the room was an irritation.

Light knows, I hate Assemblies.

TsuYa sat at the far end of the table, a forced position that he was given in accordance to his place in the Ya family line. His mouth posed in a constant downward turn as if simply breathing the air within the room was an irritation.

It’s all a bunch of crazy creations derived straight from the mind of the Dreigiau…

Everything within the big Assembly Room felt alien. The white walls seemed to slope and descend in strange optical illusions, their faces imprinted with long drapes, colorful banners and flowering vines. There was a huge ornate skylight in the center of the room that always kept the chamber illuminated, even after darkness had fallen.

Zemi’s always gotta be a show off.

His eyes fixed on his folded hands that sat upon the table’s burnished surface. All of the furniture was crafted in strange interlocking loops, built of an unusual light-colored wood. The table had been polished to an impossible shine that never seemed to fade nor scuff no matter how many agitated fists should slam on it during heated Assembly times. The chairs sported backs open around the shoulders so that those with wings could comfortably hang them through specially placed supports.

Not that his sisters are much different. The Trine is the Trine. And they’re all a bunch of crazy Arweinydd if you ask me.

It wasn’t just the room that set him on edge, however. It was the concept of so many people gathered all in one place under focused intentions. TsuYa knew that important meetings had always been a regular part of his father’s life. And part of him would have been seriously pissed off if he had been left out of the Inner Circle of the Assemblies. Yet…

I still hate these things. Too many people. Too much noise. Nothing but bickering and bad news. When does anything ever get done?

TsuYa handled it by keeping to himself. He rarely spoke unless he was asked to give input on a situation, which seemed very rare. Zemi and Father held the most talk-time out of anyone in all the Assembly history.

They can talk all they want to, but it doesn’t change the situation much, anyhow.

People were starting to file into the room. TsuYa was early, as he always was. He liked to be able to gauge the state of mind of people as they walked through the doors. He wasn’t always the best judge of those sorts of things.

But it never hurts to see who is grouchy or who is being far too cheerful for their own good. Keeps me out of potential trouble.

A sudden tingle rushed over his body, freezing his breath within his lungs. He knew without looking who had just entered the room.

Aur…

As if the thought only served to intensify the feeling, the tingling spread out over his limbs. Finally, it condensed right around the amulet that was fastened tight around his throat. Though it was hidden from the view of all others, hanging underneath his shirt, it was hands-down the most important thing that TsuYa had ever owned.

He could feel its cooling surface pressed against his skin. And though it tingled in response to Aur’s presence, it was a small price to pay for the protection it gave. The enchantment on the amulet had become his only defense against the groping will of Zeromus that reached for him. And it held the power that could halt the progression of Marked-ness that had begun to threaten him over a year ago.

So far… it’s worked. The grey patch of skin is still there but it hasn’t spread. I haven’t had any more dreams. And even when I’ve left the Islands, I haven’t felt compelled by Zeromus at all.

TsuYa twisted the chain between his fingers at the place where it met the nape of his neck — a newer habit of his, done in idle times. At this moment, it was just done to relieve himself of the tingling that tickled his skin. Afterall, it wouldn’t be very stately to start laughing out loud for reasons totally unknown.

It’s just reacting to its maker.

Or that’s what Zemi told him the first time he had felt it.

The chain was crafted of what had been TsuYa’s long, white hair, woven and bonded through Aur’s own essence into a light-weight white metal. The amulet itself was a deep blue stone, set into a ring of the same white metal.

At the time, it had grieved him to be forced to alter his appearance so much. His hair had been the one thing that made TsuYa resemble his father the most, even after his father had disappeared. But he knew that it was a sacrifice that was too petty to complain about, considering the gravity of the situation.

Even the tingling wasn’t really much of an issue. TsuYa was rarely in the same room as Aur for very long, usually only seeing him face to face in Assemblies such as this.

Especially since he’s been sent to oversee all of the Spiral.

Aur had been the one chosen to go back to reestablish the civilization that had been brought to its knees by the removal of the Armsmaster and the Speaker. In some ways, it made a lot of sense. After all, the people of the Spiral knew of Aur as the Golden Lion and he had some authority over the population. Because of that, he had far more of a chance to succeed the position in the eyes of the people than any of the white-haired northern-clan people would have had.

Aur’s supposed to be pretty good at what he does, too. Level headed. Decisive. Gets the job done. I guess there’s not much else to ask for.

Kudako had also returned to the Spiral as aid to Aur’s rule there. Between the Dragon, the Creature and the Dreigiau, they had all been hard at work at attempting to find a means of removing the effects of the Implants from the Spiral people. And so far, they had been relatively successful.

If it wasn’t for the air-raids on Ceiswyr, they probably would have found a cure by now.

TsuYa cast a stray glance over at Aur. The sandy-haired man was taking a seat on the other end of the table, along with Kudako. Despite his origins and alleged knowledge, Aur rarely owned up to his position there among the people of the Assembly. And though he probably belonged somewhere up at the head of the table with Zemi and father, Aur was always content to put himself wherever space dictated.

The room remained silent between them since none of the three were much for talking amongst themselves. That was, until Father burst into the room. As always, he greeted everyone in the room with a huge muster of cheerful banter and warm welcome. After giving a wave towards where TsuYa sat, he managed to get the usually silent Kudako and the placid Aur both to respond in some semblance of conversation.

Let the chatter begin…

As much at TsuYa respected his father, he just couldn’t see how one so highly revered among everyone could chitchat so much… and about what seemed to be so trivial things.

I mean, we’ve got a war going on. Can we talk about the weather later?

-You’re a real stick in the mud, TsuYa,- a familiar voice rose within his mind.

He responded in a deep, inadvertent groan, “Zazo…”

-Shhh… they don’t know I’m here,- the voice chided, though no form enveloped it. -I’m not supposed to upstage Zemi by coming earlier than he does. You know what an impossible ham he is.-

“So why are you here?” TsuYa murmured under his breath, knowing she could hear the tiniest whisper he made.

-Why… for the Assembly of the Trine, of course.-

The Assembly of the Trine… it was the full name of the meetings, presided over by the three Arweinydd: Zemi and his sisters Zazo and Zeni. Ever since the coming of Zeromus, the three had been working together to suppress the forces of the Marked and to shepherd the people who remained living upon the ground to safety. The three had chosen to give themselves the name of “Trine”, though in TsuYa’s opinion, it was probably a fancy embellishment that Zemi had chosen.

“I mean, why are you coming early?” he restated the question.

-To annoy you, for one?-

TsuYa huffed. “Mission accomplished. Now, what else?”

-To see the fun, of course.-

“Fun?” he frowned. “Since when has anything that’s happened in here been fun?”

-Since the day that Zemi’s decided to allow the Sygnus to sit in on the Inner Circle,- came the bold reply.

TsuYa nearly choked on himself, voice becoming strangled and far louder than he meant for it to be, “Whaaaaaaaat?”

The group of talking men on the other side of the room paused and glanced at him curiously. Father gave him an eyebrow, “Tsu… are you okay?”

“Uh… yeah…” he slumped away from the trio of peering eyes, a pair of gold and one of green. “Sorry.”

After a moment, they went back to their talk, shrugging it off as if it had never happened. TsuYa was known for his strange, sudden outbursts ever since the Marked thing. Not to mention that he was now pestered from time to time by the voice of the Arweinydd Zazo… which was something that TsuYa soon discovered only he could hear.

Though I have no idea what she wants from me…

His dark green eyes flickered to the front of the room, digesting the Arweinydd’s last statement. He could feel a tinge of amusement in the air. Zazo was enjoying his discomfort at the news.

“Are you certain?” TsuYa finally asked.

-Wait and see for yourself,- the cheery reply filled his mind. And then, just like that, Zazo was gone.

He gave a deep sigh, “Crazy Arweinydd…”

At that moment, the doors to the room swung wide, admitting a group of people. TsuYa felt his jaw drop a bit. For as his brother, SoYa, made his way up to the table of the Inner Circle, it was easy to make out the tall, lanky form of the silver-haired boy that walked beside him. A pulse of pure aversion rushed over TsuYa’s body, his hands tightening inadvertently into fists, gripping his knees.

LuShi….

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As the Arweinydd extended his hands, a pulsar ripple washed through the room, and everything hummed to life.

There’s a problem here — a very big problem! Zento’s knuckles grew white as he gripped the arms of his chair. All conversation around the big table fell into silence as the two heavy doors opened.

Figures were making their way down the carpeted floor. SoYa and SaRa… the dark winged girl Suzume… and LuShi –  not something unusual to see at an Assembly. Except for the fact that LuShi was not following Suzume to go sit in their usual back corner of the meeting room. Instead, the silver haired boy was following SoYa, right up to the table of the Inner Circle. And sitting down beside him.

Zemi, I can’t believe you! You’ve gotta be crazy!

Zento had known of the Dreigiau’s intentions to include the boy-Sygnus in the upcoming Assembly. But nothing had prepared him for seeing it actually come about. Feelings of heavy dread and burning insult rose up within the winged-man’s chest. Grinding his teeth, he found it all he could do to press his anger down into a simmering pool in his stomach.

You NEVER listen to me! I told you and told you… and told you some more.

Usually, Zento would have abided by Kudako’s suggestions to trust in the choices that Zemi made. But even now, at the sight of the silver haired boy, Kudako’s ears had gone flat and his eyes seemed a darker shade of gold. Though it was not open disapproval, for the Dragon rarely showed his thoughts so plainly, it was close enough to be translated as such.

We discussed this till I was blue in the face! We spent three whole hours going over this last week! I thought we had come to an agreement that LuShi shouldn’t be allowed into the Inner Circle!

In fact, if it were up to Zento, LuShi wouldn’t be allowed to remain there within Ceiswyr at all. It wasn’t a matter of being cruel or kind… it was a matter of the safety and survival of their people. As time had passed, it became more and more apparent that LuShi was far removed from an ordinary child… and that the powers and potential he possessed were quickly developing.

If I had known this was how it was going to end up, I would have never chosen to bring him here in the first place.

But no one could have foreseen how quickly the situation would become dangerous and crucial. No one realized upon finding the small silver-haired child in the depths of Nefol that in a little over a year, they would be facing the threat of a nearly full-grown Sygnus.

Zemi when are you going to start taking this seriously!? Does it take the Islands to fall out of the sky before you realize that this is NOT a game!?

Zento had spent much time speaking with Aur in the months that had passed, a good deal of that seeking out information about the truth behind the Sygni of the Time Before. Though Aur rarely offered as much knowledge as he owned, the message was always the same. Sygni were highly imbalanced and unstable creatures that wielded massive ability, skill that eventually threatened the Arweinydd themselves. Insanity usually inflicted the Sygni as they drew nearer to inheriting their full power simply due to the fact that their Earthian mind and body were not capable of dealing with the full essence of Arweinydd they had inherited.

And so far… nothing has ever been able to work around this. It’s part of what caused the great Mistake from the Time Before! And you want to act like this is all a field day!

The Dreigiau had argued strongly in defense of LuShi ever since the boy had been brought to the Islands. Despite the fact that the boy was a creation of a Chaotic Arweinydd, Zemi seemed to believe that if LuShi was given the proper environment and care, that they could raise him to defeat the destiny of the Sygni that had passed before.

I keep telling you that you’re wrong. Aur keeps trying to tell you to be careful. But you just won’t listen no matter what anyone has to say! You’ve always gotta have it your way or no way, don’t you?

And so, between Zemi and SaRa, the boy-Sygnus had been raised in as normal an environment that such a situation could provide. There were a million and one snags to this theory, of course. One being that LuShi was hardly accepted by the normal people of Ceiswyr – either they were afraid of him or they shunned him. But all of the winged people could feel what the silver haired boy was meant to become. It resounded through their land like the dirge of a death bell.

I just don’t get it! What do you think we have to gain by allowing the son of Zeromus to sit in on our council?!

As if she could sense exactly what was going on in the mind of her brother, SaRa glanced up with a warning ‘don’t-start-anything’ look. Zento simply lowered his brows in response, glancing at where LuShi now sat next to his eldest son. The Sygnus’ eyes were lowered, an air of nervousness clinging to him, in swaths of almost visible silver mist.

Fine. We’ll see how this plays out. But I’m not going to agree. And I’m not going to be responsible for whatever happens because of this.

With a glower, Zento picked his way across the room to his own seat, across the table from where SoYa sat, and just next to TsuYa. His wings folded properly behind him, he cast a disapproving glance up at the head of the table.

Zemi… this is all in your court.

-I’m glad that you’ve come to that conclusion.- The voice of the Dreigiau suddenly filled his mind. Though it held a bit of Zemi’s usual banter, there was a certain amount of caution, as if he knew exactly how displeased his Champion would be about the situation.

And then the Arweinydd was there, standing in front of his chair at the head of the table. His wild mane of hair hung long and free about his shoulders, except for the single wrapped lock that hung from behind one ear – a custom that had once been AsaHi’s teaching that the Dreigiau had eventually taken to be his own. His robes hung fine and rich, deep crimson inlayed with patterns of gold weavings. And on the front of his robe, the image of the gold-sheened dragon reared and fluttered with Zemi’s movement, seeming almost alive.

Perched there upon the Dreigiau’s high-backed chair was the tiny, translucent form of the white sparrow, Zeni. And at his side sat the large form of the sharp-faced she wolf, Zazo.

The Trine…

As the Arweinydd extended his hands, a pulsar ripple washed through the room, and everything hummed to life. A pale, golden-white light illuminated the chamber, spreading a pattern of circles, stars and symbols across the entire floor. Tall pillars of light shot up through the central loops of the table, the largest shaft feeding straight up through the skylight.

Zemi’s eyes were sharp as they absorbed the room, as if reading into the souls of each that sat there within the Inner Circle. His gaze lingered longest on Zento, and the winged man could feel the power working to ease the tension, soothe the irritation. The warrior jerked his face away with a grimace.

But before the Dreigiau had a chance to respond to Zento’s disgruntlement, the doors to the room burst open again. The sound of small, running footfalls pattered and echoed off the tall vaulted walls, the panting of breath causing those of the Inner Circle to turn in wonder.

“Sorry…I’m late…!” AsaHi panted, stopping to catch her breath, both hands planted on her knees. Standing just over one of the mystical glowing symbols, her face was illuminated gently from below as she pushed a number of straying locks of hair from her eyes.

“Nah… you’re just in time,” Zemi replied, motioning her to the nearest empty seat, one that had been set aside just for her.

Despite the fact that AsaHi wasn’t an Arweinydd… or one of the great leaders… or a Champion of any nation… there had never been any question on whether or not the girl was allowed to join the Inner Circle of the Trine. And the choice wasn’t just based on Zemi and SoYa’s affection for her, either.

Over the past year, AsaHi had become quite skilled as a mediator of the Assembly. This was especially true since she was the one who could talk sense into Zemi, at even the most stressed times. Though she may not have the vast knowledge or experience of Zemi or Aur or Zento, she had developed a keen sense of sympathy and understanding for the emotions of others. When things started getting out of hand, her level-headed clarity was exactly what was needed to keep people on track.

If I didn’t know better, I’d call her a mini- Athrylith.

Zento had often joked at the fact. But the truth was, she did it all without magic of any sort. Simply through her connections and affections towards others.

I’ve never seen anything quite like it. She can rough up Zemi with just a few words.

AsaHi straightened up her socks under the soft flow of her silk robes and pulled herself up into the indicated chair. She gave everyone an embarrassed, cheerful grin of hello.

I guess that’s part of what love does to people.

There was no doubt, even to simply see the way that Zemi looked at AsaHi, that the Dreigiau still loved her deeply. And yet, the most surprising thing of all was that ever since the battle between Zemi and Zeromus in the Spire of Nefol, where SoYa had risked his life to keep the Dreigiau from falling into Chaos, an understanding between the Arweinydd and the Athrylith had begun to grow.

The war going on in the lands below had also helped to pull them together. It was hard to maintain personal battles when energies had to be devoted to the all-out war that was being waged against a powerful enemy like Zeromus. Things weren’t by and large perfect – there were certainly times of tension that left the room tingling when the three were together. However, it was obvious to Zento that a friendship was forming between Zemi and SoYa out of the depths of shadowy times.

It’s hardly typical… two guys who love the same girl… becoming friends. But there it is.

And all of this was despite the fact that AsaHi had made her final choice. Though it was easy to see that she cared for both SoYa and Zemi deeply, she had somehow found a way to separate the feelings, divide them… and to place the feelings individually in her own mind. It had taken her a number of months and a ton of soul searching, but AsaHi had chosen to remain true to her Promise to SoYa.

But then, neither Zemi nor SoYa are all that typical when it comes down to it. Mind Magery and Arweinydd-ism comes in handy sometimes, after all.

As the room settled down once more, the Dreigiau gave another penetrating look about the room. Then he sat down himself, placing his hands upon the surface of the table, which began to shimmer with its own inner light. Tiny images of winged dragons seemed to caper over the wood’s polished surface for a fleeting moment before they faded.

Very nice, Zemi. Very amusing… but let’s get to the gritty of this. I want to know why that boy-Sygnus is sitting at this table.

Despite the waves of irritation that washed over him, Zento knew the question would only be answered at the Dreigiau’s leisure… if even then. So he leaned back, pursed his lips, and watched the Assembly start.

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“I want to help, Lord Zemi! Just tell me what I need to do!”

Just hold your breath, stay quiet and hope that maybe people will forget you’re here.

Not likely, Lucci knew. But hopeful thinking was better than hopeless thinking. If nothing else, that’s what Lord Zemi always taught him – how to try and make the best of things. Something about life, lemons and lemon aid. Whatever that meant.

At least Lord Zemi’s here, now.

Lucci always felt far more protected from the world when the Dreigiau was there within reach. Never did Lord Zemi allow people to speak dark words about him outright. Nor did he allow the children to make fun of him. In fact, the whole world seemed to brighten just for Lucci whenever the Dreigiau was there. Unfortunately, with all the fighting going on, time with Lord Zemi had become more and more rare.

Nothing would make me happier than for this battle to finally end.

Not to mention, stopping the battle would probably do a lot to ease the anger of all the Cyngan towards Lucci. Afterall, they seemed to claim that this Zeromus, the Dark Arweinydd and enemy of Ceiswyr, was his father. Though Lucci didn’t know how that could be… the closest thing to a father he ever remembered having was Lord Zemi.

But if we can catch Zeromus and make him stop fighting, then people might like me!

Again, unlikely. But again… life, lemons and lemon aid. Whatever that meant.

When talk at the Assembly began, thankfully, it didn’t begin with Lucci. The boy heaved a quiet sigh through his nose, silver eyes focusing on the Dreigiau as he headed the table.

“So, Aur,” Lord Zemi began, “What news is there from the Spiral?”

The golden-eyed man strung a glance down the full length of the room in silence, picking his place to begin carefully, as he always did. “We are making headway in our attempts to reverse the effects of the Implants. With the help of the refugee scholars that came from Nefol, we have seen a great improvement in those who have allowed us to test out the newest procedures.”

“Then you’re getting close?” Lord Zemi asked with a hopeful expression.

“It is still hard to say,” Aur replied with a slow twist of his wrist – an elaborate motion of one hand. In the time that the Creature had spent among the Earthians, he had begun to pick up a number of gestures and expressions that he had not had when Lucci had first met him. “Sometimes what seems to work well for one person doesn’t work so well with another. We are still working on it the best that time allows.”

“Sounds promising,” Master ZenToYa commented, the first words that he had spoken since the Assembly had gathered.

“That is what we hope, too,” Kudako answered. “As Aur says, it is still very much being tested. But the addition of those who came from Nefol has certainly sped up the process quite a bit.”

“And how is the Colony doing?” AsaHi tilted her head, both hands pressed against the table as she leaned over to get a good look at Aur and Kudako.

“Foundations have been set and the basic buildings are established,” Kudako answered. “All is going as we scheduled it.”

The Colony was the name of the new settlement that the refugees of the Inner Realms had begun to establish on the mountainous outskirts of the Spiral’s forests. With Zeromus ravaging all life down upon the mainland, the first order that Zemi had given was to find and begin evacuation of all the people living below Ceiswyr.

For the first few months, Master Zento, Master SoYa and Master TsuYa had been at the head of three different search parties that searched the lands high and low for any signs of people that had escaped the fall of Nefol or had lived in the surrounding cities and gatherings. Through the use of newly-designed travel structures, Zemi’s Dragons were able to transport a large number of the people out of the Inner Realms to the safety of the Colony near the Spiral.

It seemed that so far, Zeromus hadn’t been able to make a move outside of the Dragon’s Cleft. However, the people of the Spiral that were under the command of Aur made it their duty to watch the area that surrounded the Passage for anything that seemed abnormal.

“I also must report,” Aur added, “Relations between the Colony and the Spiral people are improving. Though we do have our problems with the renegade clans in the forests, for the most part, it seems as if understanding between the two people could be possible.”

“That’s no easy thing,” Lord Zemi murmured, drumming his fingers on the surface of the table. “Especially since they’ve both been set against one another for so many years.”

“Indeed,” Kudako nodded. “But I think they both sense the danger that is present within the Inner Realms. The warriors of the Spiral will know to seek out the true enemy of the time. And the people of the Inner Realms must rely upon the kindness of the Spiral people for the land to establish a place to live. In the middle of all this, some differences are being set aside.”

Master Zento nodded slowly, “That’s more than we can say for some of the people in the Inner Realms, however.”

“Is there still problems with those of the gatherings?” Kudako asked with a grim frown.

“Unfortunately,” the winged man replied.

“We’re still having trouble evacuating some people?” Master SoYa peered over with a surprised furrow of one brow. “Even after it’s become so obvious that it’s not safe to live on the mainland anymore?”

“Just this one radical little set of people,” Master Zento grimaced. “No matter what we said to them, they wouldn’t take our help. They just spouted off all this talk about Neffies and the Bane and things like that. Said they’d rather die than have anything to do with a bunch of cursed magic users.”

“What?” Master TsuYa broke his silence, leaning forward with a troubled look on his face.

“Their words, not mine.”

“What happened to them, Father? Do you know?”

“I don’t know. That was a few months back, Tsu. Things have gotten a lot worse down there since then,” Master Zento glanced over at the pale face of his son. “Why?”

“Nothing…” he returned his eyes to the surface of the table, falling back into silence again.

“Mmm…” the winged man watched his son’s reaction, but did not press the issue.

“I have heard word that things aren’t much better up here, either,” Kudako turned the tide of the talk with a flick of his ears. “What is this of new creatures that Zeromus has been sending against Ceiswyr?”

“You mean the Esgyll…” Lord Zemi replied slowly. There was a heavy distasteful frown pasted on his face, one fang gleaming in the pale light.

“Then it is true… there is something that can challenge the Islands?” Aur inquired quietly, studying the Dreigiau’s reaction.

“They took us by surprise,” Master Zento interjected. “That’s all. We’ll be better ready to handle them if they come again.”

“Which I’m certain that they will,” Lord Zemi spread his hands, though his tone was grave. A strange thing to hear. “We don’t know exactly what they are, but there is no doubt they were sent, possibly created, by Zeromus for the express reason of attacking the Islands. They are nearly as agile in flight as my Dragons and are very clever in moving unseen…”

“The big problem we had was that they somehow got through all the shielding, the Dragons and the lookouts as if they had been completely invisible,” Master Zento added, balling one fist and opening it again. “I still have no idea how we could have lost so many to them before the Dragons could intercept.”

“You had casualties?” Kudako’s ears flatted low.

“Yeah,” Master Zento admitted. “Too many… and too many wounded…”

“Which is why I say we really need to consider an evacuation of the city,” Master SoYa spoke up, glancing across the table. By the tone in his voice, this had been a topic that was touched on often before.

“I’m not leaving without a fight!” Master TsuYa met the Athrylith’s glace with a sharp-eyed look of his own. “We haven’t had a chance to meet them one on one yet. Just because we had one sneak attack doesn’t mean we need to throw up our hands and pass them the city like a plate of peas!”

“At least get the children and the women to safer ground…” Master SoYa spread his hands with a reasoning tone.

AsaHi made a huffing sound in her throat.

“Not you, of course?” the Athrylith sunk down in his chair a little, seeing that his suggestions were being chewed up and spit out. “I mean… the ones that need protection. There’s a lot of children here… and there were a few that we lost during that attack that weren’t warriors…”

“What the boy says has some merit,” Kudako noted. “Noncombatants on the Islands will only give the creatures more undefended targets to strike. My suggestion is that evacuation of any unnecessary civilians is mandatory should you decide to hold the city.”

Lord Zemi was nodding thoughtfully. “I understand… and I think maybe you’re right. I believe that Wyndor has enough in the way of room and supplies to provide for the Cyngan on the need of evacuation.”

Master SoYa leaned back in his chair, seeming relieved that someone was finally considering something that he offered to the Assembly.

“But I also believe that every person who is willing and able to defend Ceiswyr should have the opportunity to do so,” Lord Zemi’s tone shifted a little, his deep eyes falling upon Lucci.

The silver-haired boy shivered, realizing that the moment he had been dreading was about to come. As if on cue, the focus of the room fell upon his lanky shoulders. And no amount of squirming could shrug it off.

“What are you trying to say, Zemi?” Master Zento’s tone held a hint of caution. As if he didn’t really want to ask the question. Or possibly that he was warning Lord Zemi to be sensible of whatever answer was to come.

But Lord Zemi didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were still upon the boy. “Lucci-boy… how do you feel about joining us in the fight to protect Ceiswyr?”

The breath choked in the back of his lungs as shock washed over every inch of his body. Before he realized how he must have looked, Lucci bounced up in his chair, nodding vigorously, “I want to help, Lord Zemi! Just tell me what I need to do!”

The waves of silent darkness rose up from the opposite side of the room, contrasting the sudden joyful outburst of the silver-haired boy. Lucci did not dare to turn his glance that way… he knew he’d see the heavy disapproval hanging over the heads of the others. Especially Master Zento and Master TsuYa.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Lord Zemi’s grin was wide and warm. “I figure that you’re about the right age to start learning how to handle yourself in a fight. I’m sure we’ve got an extra weapon around here that we could train you up on – you tend to learn things real fast?”

Lucci simply beamed his brightest and most eager grin in return.

I can’t believe it! Lord Zemi wants me to help!?

It was the first time ever that any of the adults in Ceiswyr had acknowledged him as capable of doing the things that the other boys were allowed to do. Most boys who were far smaller than him had already experienced far more training in the ways of magic and weaponry than he had. In fact, he had never been allowed to hold a weapon… ever.

“Well, now that that is settled, we just gotta figure out who’s going to take you under wing for a bit of training…” Lord Zemi’s comment traced across the table, with an obvious target. There was only one man in all of Ceiswyr who was known to be the best when it came to training students in weaponry.

Instantly, Master Zento’s head turned the other way, a deep silence freezing his face cold. For a long time they remained like that… Lord Zemi watching the winged man, waiting for a reply. But no reply came.

A sinking feeling washed all the cheer from Lucci’s body. He found himself hunching back from the clash of will between the Dreigiau and his Champion. Swallowing deeply, his silver eyes met the surface of the table, hope fading.

Does that mean… I can’t help…?

As if the Dreigiau could sense the disappointment in the boy’s demeanor, his gravelly voice rose again. “I see. Well… I guess you’ll just have to put up with my shoddy teaching, then. I hope you don’t mind?”

Lucci shook his head, a tiny hint of smile, hope rising once again. All he had to make sure to do was not let himself look at the glaring disapproval of the winged man that sat across the table.

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“You aren’t listening to the warnings! You don’t see the writing on the wall!

“Zento… are we having some sort of…” Zemi waved one hand back and forth as he groped to find the right words, “You know… communication problem?”

The winged man turned with a hard look, leaning back on the heel of one boot. His tone was somewhat bitter and quite sarcastic, “I don’t know. You tell me.”

The Assembly of the Trine was over now. All topics great and small were touched on… including a few that Zento felt were quite out of place. Now that the room was empty of everyone except for the Dreigiau and his Champion, the winged man had turned to face the Arweinydd in verbal discontent.

“You completely snubbed my request during the Assembly, Zento,” Zemi grimaced darkly. “I want to know what we plan on doing about that.”

“Doing? We are not doing anything about it,” Zento turned with a sharp look. “You were the one that put me on the spot in there… in front of everyone else. You knew exactly what I felt about this situation and yet you’re pushing your demands on me? For what…? So you can get me to do what you want?”

The Dreigiau paused, looking uncertain as to how to take the sudden viciousness in his Champion’s voice. “Zento… that’s not what I meant at all. You know that…”

“No, I don’t know that. I’m telling you how it looked and felt to me and to everyone else there,” the winged man jabbed one finger at the air with a scowl. “What you did back there was wrong.”

“In what way?” Zemi asked, seeming to be making some attempt at reason.

Zento threw up his hands in frustration and took a few measured steps away to grunt his irritation at the far wall. After a moment or two, he managed to regain some of his composure, and he turned back to face the Dreigiau.

“First of all, I thought we talked about this.”

“About what?” Zemi asked.

“About letting LuShi into the Inner Circle,” Zento clarified, scuffing the toe of his boot along the runes on the floor. “You told me that it wasn’t going to happen. So why did it? I get here and there he comes… When you agreed with me on this!”

“I agreed with you before things started to get as dangerous as they are now, Zento,” the Dreigiau explained. “It was before the Esgyll attacks. Before we lost so many to the raids. Back when I thought we had this place secure against Zeromus’ forces.”

“Why does that change anything?”

“It does,” Zemi murmured in a low, rumbly voice, “It changes everything.”

“How?” Zento stretched his arms and wings wide, a searching motion, grasping for the answers. Not that he expected anything that the Arweinydd would say could make any sense… not after all the insanity that he had just been witness to in the Assembly.

“What do you mean how? The Islands are in danger… something I didn’t expect to happen for a long time from now. We need everyone we can to hold out against the forces that would destroy us. You know that,” the Dreigiau answered, coolly.

“Zemi, you fail to be seeing that it’s that boy-Sygnus who is going to be the biggest threat to us all in the end. And now you want to train him… to give him the knowledge he will use against us?” the winged man’s eyes glinted as he faced the Arweinydd.

“How are you so sure that this is going to end up like that?”

“Because, I’ve been doing a ton more research on this than you have. Because I’ve actually listened to what Aur has to say about what happened with the Sygni in the past and everything that was lost because of them,” Zento snuffed, wings ruffling. “Because I was the one that heard first-hand the people in the gatherings that spoke of the coming of the Bane – which just happens to be what LuShi’s name means. Coincidence? I think not.”

“Lucci is a good kid. His heart is in the right place,” Zemi shook his head with a grimace. “This kind of talk is not what I expected out of you at all, ZenToYa.”

“And what did you expect?” the winged man scoffed, “That I’d be jumping for joy to train the very creature that will bring about the death of all the people I love?”

“Zento!”

“Zemi!” the warrior spat back sharply, “You aren’t listening to the warnings! You don’t see the writing on the wall! And for what… because you’re attached to the boy? That’s just not the way it works, Zemi. When you’re a leader of a nation, you have to learn how to put your emotions aside for the good of the people.”

“And how about you?” Zemi pointed with one finger.

“What about me?”

“Why can’t you follow your own advice? Putting your bad feelings of Lucci aside for the good of the people?” the Dreigiau noted.

“How could that be for the good of the people, Zemi? I just told you… he’s going to be the destruction of us all!”

“Have you ever stopped to consider what might happen if you were just to allow the boy to join our side of the fight? He’s already proving to be willing to help us, Zento,” Zemi asked in a low tone. “No doubt that he’s going to become quite powerful… but what about if the Sygnus chooses to fight against Zeromus?”

“Listen to what you are saying,” Zento’s mouth became a thin, firm line. “So you take the enemy’s secret weapon and train it to use against them. Is this what this is all about?”

“What?!” the Arweinydd’s eyes widened in shock and slight hurt, “No… it’s not like that at all!”

“You better think about it, Zemi,” the winged man told him, turning on his heel and marching for the door.

“Zento!” the Dreigiau’s voice rang after him. But nothing stopped the warrior’s determined stride. The door closed heavily behind him, leaving the room lying in a shroud of silent shadows.

With a heavy sigh, Zemi flopped down in his chair at the head of the table. An expression of troubled thought covered the Dreigiau’s face… and for just a moment, he seemed to show his age.

“Lord Zemi..?” a soft, smooth voice greeted him from out of the shadows.

The Dreigiau straightened instantly, eyes flicking up to see the silvery form of Lucci standing there at the other end of the table. How the boy had come in without the sound of the door to alert him, Zemi didn’t know. Neither did he question, though… for the Arweinydd knew that rarely did he actually need to use the conventional means of entering rooms himself.

“Lucci…?” his voice took on a concerned tone. Concerned for how the boy might feel after being treated like such an outsider at the Assembly. And for how much the boy may have overheard spoken between himself and Zento.

As if to answer this, the boy-Sygnus looked shamefully down at his feet. “I made Master Zento mad at you.”

“Nah,” Zemi leaned back casually. “I can usually do that well enough for myself… at least, lately, it seems.”

“Everyone is upset lately…”

“People are just afraid,” the Dreigiau consoled him, “The Esgyll attack has really shaken people up… especially since there were some who died to it. You have to give folks a chance to settle down a bit after things like that.”

“But it’s not just the Esgyll that they are afraid of,” the silver eyes lifted, focusing on Zemi. “They don’t want me here… and maybe they are right… maybe I’m a threat.”

“Lucci…” Zemi rose from his seat, walking around the table towards the boy. Gently, he reached one arm out and hooked it around Lucci’s slender shoulders in a show of affection. Though he tried to withhold the heartbreak that he felt at hearing the boy’s blameful words, it was really hard, “Why do you say such a thing?”

The silver-haired boy peered up at the Dreigiau for a moment, seeming to sense the emotion. Regret welled over his face. “I don’t know much about the Esgyll… but I think maybe they have come here because of me, Lord Zemi.”

“Oh..?” the surprise in his voice urged the boy to talk further.

Lucci nodded somberly, eyes reflecting up at Zemi in a please-don’t-hate-me plead of honesty. “I think… maybe they are sent here to find me.”

“I see,” the Dreigiau replied quietly. “You haven’t had any attempted outside-contacts since that one time, have you?”

The boy’s face reflected a moment of panic. He never liked to remember the day… not long before the first Esgyll attack, that the voices had come to him. Voices without people, he had called it. Though the boy never told anyone what the voices had said to him, it had frightened Lucci so much that he had refused to walk anywhere alone ever since.

“No… nothing like that,” Lucci finally found his voice with a shake of his head. “It’s nothing I know for sure. I just have a feeling.”

“Mmm….” Zemi tilted his head slowly.

“Is it true that I really came from Nefol? And that I’m Zeromus’ son?” he blurted out of no where. Not that he didn’t know the answer, but the words were rarely spoken around him.

“Well,” the Dreigiau spoke slowly. “Yes. It’s true that you came from Nefol. I can’t prove whether or not you are Zeromus’ son, however. But, you know that you belong here with me, Lucci… right?”

The boy nodded, “I want to stay here with you… but I don’t think Zeromus wants to let me.”

“No, of course he doesn’t. You’re right about that,” Zemi placed a large hand on the top of Lucci’s head and rubbed his hair around a bit. “But were’ not gonna let that get us down, will we?”

“No…?”

“You still want to help us fight against the Esgyll, right?”

The boy perked up quickly. “Yes! Of course I do, Lord Zemi. Are you… really going to teach me?”

“Seems like I’m gonna have to,” Zemi gave the boy a wink and a quick flash of fangy grin. “And you know what else we’re gonna do?”

“No… what?” the silver eyes peered up at him, big and round. Questioning.

“We’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna prove them all wrong,” the Dreigiau’s grin widened.

Lucci stared up into the Arweinydd’s confident grin. Then a calm smile of his own spread across his face.

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The Athrylith strode over and came to sit next to TsuYa on the hilltop.

“I don’t believe you!” TsuYa complained, shoving a bunched up set of clothing into the small open box upon the bed.

“No! It’s you I don’t believe!” JouKa retorted, jerking the clothes out of the box the moment his hands left them.

It was the third time that this particular set of attire had gone through the juggle between the two. Disgruntled glares were exchanged. Hisses and snarls and hand waves were ever present. Voices were high and irritation was higher.

“You’re not staying here during the battle, and that’s final!” TsuYa glared, both fists curled at his sides, body rigid as the words snapped between his teeth.

Not that he fully agreed with the idea of the Migration. But he had come to accept that it was going to happen no matter what he thought. Though he didn’t want to let her know, he was worried about JouKa. And after thinking about it for a while, he reluctantly decided that it was probably better for her go somewhere safe than put into the risk of battle.

Of course, she didn’t agree with his assessment. He hadn’t expected her to. At first, TsuYa had attempted calm reasoning. As always, it was not long he found his temper sparking as JouKa had become impossibly stubborn about the whole thing.

“Who do ya think ya be, tellin’ me where I kin stay an’ where I kin go?” the winged girl shook a fist in his face.

It was merely a motion of accent to her words… it had been over a year since JouKa had last actually hit him during one of their arguments. Especially since she had learned about the meaning behind TsuYa’s dreams and the danger he was in with Zeromus. Not that the girl had ever seemed actually afraid of him. Rather, she seemed to realize that they were all in the same boat during the war.

But that’s never stopped her mouth…

“Look, this is for your own good,” TsuYa tried to reason, hands spread towards her.

“My own good? Or jus’ somethin’ that’ll give ya peace ‘o mind?”

“This isn’t about me, JouKa! This is about everyone,” he huffed sharply. “Lord Zemi’s command is that all noncombatant citizens of Ceiswyr be evacuated to Wyndor.”

“Exactly why I’m stayin’!” she flipped a straying lock of white hair over her shoulder, nose pointing away from him. “I kin fight jus’ fine!”

“Arrg… I knew you were going to say that!”

“Then why’re ya wastin’ yer time tryin’ to talk me outta it?” she chided him. “Could it be that yer actually worried fer me?”

“Give me a break,” he snorted. “If you’re stupid enough to stay when everyone’s telling you to get out, you deserve to be Esgyll food!”

JouKa fell silent for a moment, brow furrowed. Then she murmured in a gentler tone of voice, a tone that she had only just recently adopted from time to time, “Ya don’t mean that, TsuYa…?”

He breathed in deeply, nostrils widening for a moment before he turned to her again. “No. I don’t. But you’re just being so difficult… and there’s a lot of crap going on as it is. Why can’t you just do what you’re supposed to do?”

JouKa leaned back against the beam of the wall. She eyed him with purpose as she asked, “Why don’t ya evacuate wit’ the rest of ‘em?”

“Why would I?”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s my job to stay here and fight… I have to defend the Islands and fight along with everyone else who is here to do the same thing,” he answered her patiently.

She’s leading up to something. She always is when she asks “why not”.

“It’s because you wanna stay ‘ere and defend yer ‘ome, right?”

“Well…” TsuYa found he had to stop and think that statement over. It wasn’t like Ceiswyr was really his home – Nefol and the School would always hold that spot in his memories even if it was no longer a place of beauty and light. However, the Islands had become a refuge for himself and a number of others… and that was something he didn’t want to lose to Zeromus’ forces. “I guess you can say that.”

“Well, then… that’s what I wanna do, too,” JouKa jutted her chin out at him, both hands planted solidly on her hips. “Is it wrong for me to wanna fight jus cuz I’m a girl?”

“Is this what it’s about?” he rolled his eyes.

“You tell me?” she retorted.

“This is about keeping you and everyone else safe and out of the way when the battle starts. That’s what it’s about,” TsuYa shook his head. “It’s not a question of rank, gender, race, preference… whatever! War is war. And you don’t need to be caught up in the middle of it!”

“I kin fight!” JouKa protested.

“With what? You don’t have a weapon!”

“There’s an armory. I kin get one!” she waved her hand in a wide, exaggerated motion.

“You know plain well that they don’t just start passing out weapons from the armory to random citizens…” he scowled at her.

“Well, if it’s a war, they should!”

“It doesn’t work like that. This isn’t a joke!”

“Does it look like I’m laughing?”

TsuYa just gave a long, frustrated sigh. JouKa mirrored his expression, now crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Impossible! Just when I think she can’t get any worse, she comes up behind me and gives me a swift kick in the behind.

“There’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind?” he finally murmured, giving it one last shot.

“Nope.”

“I thought not,” he grimaced, walking towards the door. After the heated discussion, TsuYa felt the need for some fresh air and a walk. “Well, if you get yourself killed out there, it’s not my problem. I tried to stop you.”

He left it at that. Trite words he didn’t really mean and a heavy closing of the door. Something inside of him told him that he was being stupid about the whole thing.

Afterall, what if something were to happen and that was the last time I ever see her?

TsuYa shook his head and scowled.

Then it really would be her fault. She needs to head out with the Migration like the rest of them. It figures that I’d get stuck with the one who can’t follow directions of any kind… even with they’re given by Lord Zemi himself!

The Migration was the name for the undertaking, the mass-evacuation of the city of Ceiswyr. And though TsuYa felt that it was the right thing to be doing for the women and children and non battle-ready people, he couldn’t help but feel much like JouKa about the whole thing.

It sucks. Zeromus shouldn’t have us on the run like this. We shouldn’t have to be evacuating the city.

He kicked his way up the grassy hillside, plucking a stray weed to roll between his fingers.

I mean, we’ve got the Trine on our side! What gives here? Why can’t the three of them manage defenses against their own brother Arweinydd?

The question was unsettling. But the answer that rose to mind was even more so.

Does the Chaos really give Zeromus all that much more power? Has Zemi been bluffing our situation and not telling us how serious it really is all this time?

TsuYa’s dark eyes slid out over the land below as he crested the hill. Somehow, he found that taking a walk didn’t exactly help to alleviate all of his feelings about the Migration. In fact, the scene that spread out before him only made the situation all the more real to him.

There were a number of Dragons lounging there among the grass and spattering of trees, large wings folded, bodies resting flat on the ground. All around them, winged people wandered, checking and rechecking the large containers that were strapped across the beasts’ backs. Inside of the big, boxlike structures, packs and bags and bundles were being stacked. No doubt these were the few belongings of the Cyngan who were about to make the flight across to Wyndor.

This is really happening. We’re evacuating the final outpost of the Inner Realms.

TsuYa felt a quiet sigh rise up in his throat, a mixture of emotion churning through him. It was a powerful tragedy to have lost Nefol and the School already… something that he had not quite come to terms with in all the time that had passed since that dark day. The image of the tilted Spire and the dark, churning cloudbanks consuming his home had burned itself into the back of his mind forever. And though he spoke very little about it, there were still times when he felt the weight of the loss deeply.

And if we lose Ceiswyr, too, then all of the Inner Realms will belong to Zeromus…

That was a terribly frightening thought. That within the year, the whole realm had been consumed… and that they were the last outpost that retained a foothold there within the massive grips of the darkness.

How did things ever get so screwed up…?

It was a difficult question to answer. Like everything in life, things simply happened, leading into other things that led into other things, in turn. No one had certainly meant for something like this to come about. But, then, most bad things that happened were not usually created with purposeful intent… they just tended to build up out of the little things that came along, it seemed.

As melancholy crept up on him, TsuYa settled down on the top of the hill-side, watching the Dragons and people in their preparations. He leaned back on both palms, breathing in the cool air, mind tossing about from thought to thought. But all of it pointed back to one feeling.

Even if we are fighting against Zeromus now… how can we ever make things back the way they were before this?

“I know what you mean, Tsu,” the voice of his brother came from somewhere behind him.

TsuYa’s face twisted in a scowl for a moment before he grumbled, “What did I tell you about using your mind-suck powers on me?”

“Sorry…” SoYa’s tone turned abashed. “I just came to tell you that supper is ready. And that Aunt SaRa is done packing now.”

She’s leaving. You might as well say what you mean.

TsuYa glowered down at his feet.

“You want me to leave you alone..?” his brother asked in an almost sad voice.

“Nah,” he waved his hand once. “Do whatever you want.”

The Athrylith strode over and came to sit next to TsuYa on the hilltop. There, SoYa began to pick at the tiny white flowers that were scattered through the blades of grass.

It’s so odd to think of him as being a mind mage… even though I’ve known about it for this long.

His brother was a confusing juxtaposition. Within the time that had passed since the fall of Nefol, SoYa had changed so much. It was obvious to everyone, even TsuYa, that the Athrylith was growing into his own — both in his position as the eldest brother of ZenToYa and as a skilled mind mage.

Yet at the same time, he’s still just as big a doof as ever.

When things got under serious pressure, SoYa’s first instinct was to fall back in defense rather than hold his ground and fight. It was no surprise that the Migration was his idea.

SoYa leaned forward, “It’s the right thing to do, Tsu… I know you don’t agree with it. But it’s important to keep them safe.”

“You don’t think we’re going to be able to hold the Islands, do you?” TsuYa peered over at his brother with a grim frown.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen when the Esgyll come back.”

“But evacuating means you don’t think we can protect them…”

SoYa shook his head, “That’s not true. It’s just being careful, Tsu. I don’t want anyone getting hurt more than they have to. And as I said… we don’t know what’s going to happen. We may win and everything will be fine. But there’s a chance we may not.”

TsuYa scowled and spat off to the side. “What kind of thinking is that?”

“I guess I don’t think much like a warrior does. I’m not much of a warrior… not when compared to you,” SoYa leaned back, staring quietly up at the clouds.

“Shaddap… that’s not what I said,” he snuffed back.

“I know. But it’s true?” the Athrylith shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter. We all just do what we gotta do,” the young warrior shrugged back in an almost identical motion.

SoYa glanced over, “Sometimes I wish I could face things like you do.”

TsuYa felt a momentary shock rush over him. He breathed the words deeply through his nose, mulling over the right response to the statement. He still went with the first thing that came to his mind, “No you don’t…”

“Yeah I do,” the Athrylith laced his fingers together, hooking them around his bent knee before giving his brother a soft smile. “You always seem so calm.”

“It’s not calm,” the young warrior shook his head. He was still fighting to make sense of it.

Why would SoYa ever want to be anything like me?

“Then what do you call it?” SoYa asked with a furrowed brow.

“Dunno… It’s just my way of getting through, I guess,” TsuYa answered. “You’re best to stick to what works for you. There’s only room for one cynic of my caliber in this family.”

SoYa gave a warm, quiet laugh. Then he reached out and squeezed his brother’s shoulder in an affectionate way. “I know you miss Nefol. And I know you miss the way things were. But we gotta keep moving forward, Tsu. There might be some light ahead of us that we just don’t see yet… but we won’t know if we keep looking behind us.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” TsuYa murmured, half joking.

“I knew you’d say that,” the Athrylith teased softly.

“Of course you did, mindsucker.”

SoYa laughed as he rose and brushed his pants off. “Come on. There food’s getting cold on the counter… And we really should say goodbye to Aunt SaRa before she leaves.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Still, TsuYa sat there for a moment before slowly pushing himself to his feet. As if putting off the goodbye would put off the inevitable.

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Lucci bent down to allow her to throw her arms around his neck.

The Migration had begun. Winged people were milling around everywhere, making it impossible to approach the Dragons out in the fields. But Lucci kept trying to move forward, for once glad of his unusual height that allowed him to see above all the white feathers and hair.

Suzume would be out there somewhere. With the rest of those who were leaving the Island. He had spent the better part of the day shying away from the packing and the sad goodbyes… knowing that he, too, would have to part with one dear to him. His best friend.

Deep down, there was fear. Fear of being alone. And there was sorrow. For the Islands would not be the same without Suzume… without the one friendly face and cheerful encouragement. But he knew that he couldn’t let the girl see these things… she would be upset enough without knowing his own hurt.

But now that the time to say goodbye was here, Lucci found that it was nearly impossible for him to find the girl in the swelling crowd.

“Luuuuuci!!” a small, shrill voice cried, catching his attention. The boy paused, just on the edge of the motion, part of him wishing his name wasn’t called because now a number of people had stopped to peer at him and grimace. The other part of him was instantly cheerful as he finally caught the sight of Suzume running toward him. One look at the tear-streaked expression on her face was all it took to dash away his smile.

The girl pushed through the crowd, sprinting straight for him, arms and wings wide spread. She had been crying. And her face still reflected a sense of loss and sadness.

Upon reaching him she lifted both arms up, jumping in place in attempt to reach up and choke-hug him, like she always did… only, just as of late, he had become a bit too tall for her to reach. So Lucci bent down to allow her to throw her arms around his neck.

Silver and black hair spun together as they came together – his kneel and her hug of grief. Then the girl began to sob into his shoulder as he patted at her head in confusion.

“Suzume…” Her name was the only thing he could think to say. Afterall, Suzume rarely cried over anything. She was really a very tough girl.

She didn’t answer for a while, continuing to cry, leaving a bit wet spot on the front of his shoulder. People watched from a scowling distance, as if almost accusing Lucci of doing something to make the poor little girl cry so much.

Finally, Suzume pulled away from him, her dark eyes rung around in red. After a number of hiccups and snivels, she managed to make a few words come out. “You know that they’re… making me leave?”

He thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. “It’s the Migration…”

“I don’t want to leave!” she gave a little half-wail.

Lucci puzzled about it a bit more, fluttering of thoughts drifting through his mind. “But, you’re go the Dragon realms? It’s supposed to be a really nice place? I’ve heard a lot about it!”

“Don’t you understand!” Suzume gave his shoulder a little pound with one fist.

“Understand what?” he blinked at her, dumbfounded.

“They’re making me leave! And you’re going to stay! That means I won’t get to see you anymore, Lucci!” And just like that, she burst back into tears.

“What do you mean, not see me anymore?” he tilted his head and tried to wipe her tears on his sleeve. It made him feel awful to see her cry so much, but he knew if he let her see his sadness, that he would probably cry, too. And he didn’t want that to happen. “Of course you will. I’ll be coming to Wyndor once the battle here is done.”

“What if something happens to you during the battle! What if you die?” her two little hands clung at the front of his robe.

“I’m pretty sure I won’t die?”

“How do you know?” she sniveled.

“Because Lord Zemi is going to be with me. He’s going to show me how to fight…?”

“But I don’t want you to go and fight, Lucci! Bad things happen when people fight! And you have to face the big flying monsters, don’t you?” her voice rose an octave for each thing she listed.

“Yeah. But I’m not scared,” Lucci told her with a little smile. “I want to fight because if I do, that means I can help make the Islands a safe place for when you are going to come back?”

“But I thought you just said that you were coming to Wyndor?” He scratched at the lobe of his ear and frowned. “Well, I think it depends on who wins the fight.”

“What do you mean?” Suzume blinked at him, trying to figure out what he was telling her through the cloud of emotion that stung her mind.

“Well, if we win the fight, then that will make it safe for you to come back here. And that’s what I really want to happen,” Lucci informed her with a nod. “But if we lose the fight, I think we’ll have to come to stay in Wyndor, too.”

“Oh…?”

“So either way, that means I’ll still get to see you again, Suzume?”

The girl peered down at her feet, blinking back the tears. It was obvious that she was still upset about something. After a moment, she finally said, “Who will be my friend when you’re not there with me, Lucci?”

“What do you mean?” he puzzled aloud.

“Lucci! I’m going to leave! And then I won’t be with you anymore!” she spread her hands to him, looking frustrated.

Lucci shook his head again. Gently, he reached down and plucked a small lilac flower from the grass. A flow of silent silver mist rose around him, tracing the lines of the flower, leaving a pale sparkle upon the pedals. Then he reached up and folded the stem of the flower into her hair.

Suzume’s frustration faltered as she gave him a questioning look.

“Keep this flower with you,” Lucci told her, tilting her chin back to peer into his face. “It is bound to my magic. As long as you have it, I will be with you. And as long as it is alive, you will know I am still alive. As long as I am alive, I promise I will see you again.”

She sucked in a deep, ragged breath. Then she threw her arms around his neck once again.   “Okay..?” Lucci stood up and peered down at her.

“Okay…” the reply was choked with tears. But it came.

The tiny lilac flower seemed to pulse with a silver-tinged life of its own, woven there among the strands of dark flowing hair. Though Suzume’s face was sad, her normal determination seemed to be fighting to find its place there upon her expression.

A call rang across the hillsides. Some of the Dragons began to rise from their spots, carrying the large containers of belongings upon their backs. They shook out their massive wings, slung about their tails and gave deep bellowing sounds to each other.

The winged people were beginning to say their tearful goodbyes. Hugs and words exchanged as far as the eye could see over the hillsides. The morning sun had begun to break free from the clouds that hovered over the mainland below, bathing the Island in a new-day’s sunlight.

It was time for the Migration to begin.

Suzume reached out, taking Lucci’s hand in her own, giving it a tiny squeeze. Then she let it go, walking out to join the shadows of the other winged people that spread over the grass. She gave one last look from over her shoulder as she put her little sack on the Dragons.

Lucci watched the huge Dragons spreading their wings. One by one, the great beasts alighted from the Island, taking to the skies as if they bore no burdens at all. Gusts from their wings caused the leaves of the tree to scatter, raining across the crowds that spoke their mournful farewells to the city of Ceiswyr.

In small flocks they began to take flight, held together like tiny fists of people. Some held hands as they lifted off, gathering strength from each other…. or guiding the youngest ones from going astray through the misty morning clouds.

Lucci didn’t know how far away Wyndor was… except that he heard talk that it was a place that lay beyond the borders of the Inner Realms. He didn’t know how long it would take for the people of Ceiswyr to fly there. But he knew that it was not going to be an easy pilgrimage for them to make.

The Dragons served as guides, as well. The great beasts winged about, each of them gathering up a number of Cyngan under their golden, watchful eyes. The sky began to fill with shimmers of fluttering white, the wings of the flocks catching and reflecting the morning sunlight like day-stars. The rainbowed hues of the Dragons spun in and out of the diamond dapples, leaving an after impression of brilliant color and light.

But the sky was hung with the sense of deep sadness. The sorrow of those journeying far away from their home, not knowing if they were ever to return to it again.

Their graceful flight was a lonely sort of beauty, lacing over the clouds, touching their undersides with mourning. Very slowly, they began to fade off over the horizon.

Lucci’s silver eyes watch them vanish, searching for the one spot of darkness among the light. Something of him was with them… and felt their flight — felt the cool winds on his face, the lightness of their limbs… as if he were among them. Despite the fact he had no wings of his own.

And when the last shimmer of wings and color faded, the sky became a lonely place.

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“Arm yourself!” TsuYa commanded, something in the depths of his eyes glittering.

“Go for the eyes, Lucci!!” SoYa cupped his hands around his mouth giving a grinning call out over the practice ring.

It was quite the unusual thing to see… Zemi Dreigiau stripped down to a set of oversized pants and a tank-shirt with his usually wild hair pulled back out of his eyes in a fighter’s knot, in imitation of Father’s. The Arweinydd held a padded practice sword in one fist, though at the rate that he and Lucci had been exchanging blows, Zemi had hardly even needed the weapon.

“Lucci-boy, tighten your grip on that blade! Straighten your arm when you thrust! Do it like you mean it — you aren’t gonna hurt me none, so don’t fret,” Zemi encouraged with a wide grin.

Dancing about on the balls of his feet, the Dreigiau was rarely at the point of being in danger. And Lucci’s own practice sword hardly came near him.

He’s holding back…

SoYa could tell that there was a good deal of reluctance in the way that Lucci swung the practice sword. Not that the boy didn’t want to learn the art of swordsmanship. Just that he seemed really hesitant to strike out against Zemi, even if it was in training.

“Come on Lucci! Stick it to him! You can do it!!” AsaHi shouted leaning over the padded railing of the training grounds.

It was a large, circular area built of wood covered in cloth to ease the fall of anyone who might get shoved up against the railing. The ground was a scuffled patch of soft close-cropped grass, ready and willing to cushion the fallen student and make their rise back to sparring all the more easy.

No doubt, Father had a hand in making this place.

Zemi gave the girl an arched-eyebrow. “Heeey… who’s side are you on?”

Seeing his opening, Lucci gave a quick little thrust, marking Zemi’s side with the blackened tip of the training blade. As the Dreigiau turned to observe himself with a bit of amused surprise, the boy darted back with a wide, playful grin.

“Now, Lucci… that wasn’t very sporting of you?” Zemi teased warmly, a soft chuckle rising from his throat.

“I don’t think the bad guys are going to worry too much about what’s going to be sporting or not?” SoYa grinned at the boy’s antics.

“That’s true enough,” Zemi nodded with a wrinkle of his nose. Moving into a low crouch, he once again returned to his agile battle-pose. “Come on, Lucci… You must be serious with me if you want to really learn how to fight out there?”

The boy nodded and let out a heated breath, wiping his brow on the back of his hand. He wore a padded practice jerkin and a cap that seemed a size to small on his head. His form was slender and wan, like one who had grown taller faster than his muscle mass could keep up with. Despite that, Lucci had a good bit of strength to him when he really did put it behind his thrusts.

Still… he’s not learning very fast. And we don’t have a lot of time to be teaching him how to defend himself before the battle comes.

It wasn’t a big help that this was Zemi’s first time trying to train someone in the ways of swordsmanship. Not that Zemi was a bad teacher… but it was obvious that his own battle skills heavily relied upon the power and special ability he held as an Arweinydd. The training session had been a rather disheveled attempt at putting a practice sword in Lucci’s hand and letting him swing it around with little discipline.

It’s really too bad that Father wouldn’t help… Father used to be known for training the best warriors in the shortest amount of time back in Nefol.

Again, SoYa watched as Lucci came for the Dreigiau, only to be met with dodges, feints and a series of blocks. But there seemed to be little in the way of anything learned. In fact, if anything, it seemed to be training the boy in the art of sloppy blade-swinging in hopes that a hit could actually be struck.

Eventually, the boy hunched over, breathing heavily in attempt to catch his breath. Zemi eyed him and leaned his own padded weapon against the railing.

“Well, it looks like you could use a bit of a break. I’ve got a couple of things I need to be working on now… but we’ll pick this up again later once you’ve had some rest. Okay?” the Arweinydd tilted his head, observing.

Lucci just nodded in return, still fighting to find his breath. So Ya could see that determination was written on his brow. But so was frustration.

Zemi means well, but I’m not sure this approach is working the way it should.

Undaunted, as usual, Zemi just gave a huge, fanged grin. Ruffling AsaHi’s hair as he walked by, he hoisted himself easily out of the training ring.

“Ew… don’t touch me with those hands. You need a shower, Zemi,” the girl teased, pulling away from him.

Zemi paused for a moment, as if considering the possibility of his kind owning an odor of a bodily sort. Then he shook his head, “Nice try, Sunshine. But Arweinydd don’t sweat.”

“So you think!”

“We don’t?” the Dreigiau argued.

“It’s just like they always say, Zemi,” SoYa waved a finger at him. “You can’t smell yourself, you know? Only the people around you notice it.”

“Really…?” he paused, a glimmer of slight concern crossing his face.

“That’s right!” AsaHi teased more. “Don’t tell me you’re not even wearing deodorant?”

“What’s… that..?” Zemi squinted at her.

Both SoYa and AsaHi groaned. Then they buckled in on themselves in laughter at the stricken face of the Arweinydd.

Lucci grinned a bit, “Even I know what that is?”

“Someone needs to educate you in the ways of Earthian hygiene, Zemi!” AsaHi gave him a wince.

“Guess who just offered to do it?” Zemi arched an eyebrow at AsaHi with a droll expression on his face.

“Whaaaat? Me?” she protested.

“You will show me this deodorant-thing?”

“Well… I…?” AsaHi turned to blink at SoYa with a what-should-I-do look.

SoYa was still laughing, however. One hand waved the girl off on her new-found plight, the other wiped at his eyes as he attempted to catch his breath. With no other option given, AsaHi found herself toted away towards the waiting compound and the upcoming explanation of personal hygiene products.

Lucci strode over to lean against the fence not far from SoYa. He gave a tired look, one that expressed his understanding of the lack of focus his current training was being conducted under. And part of him seemed to be looking to the Athrylith for some sort of answer.

“What are you doing? You think you’re finished in there?”

Both SoYa and Lucci turned towards the sound of the voice, blinking in surprise. TsuYa strode out towards the training ring, dressed down in a dark blue padded sparring outfit, tailored especially to his form. One easy leap had him over the railing, picking up Zemi’s discarded training sword with a sharp frown.

SoYa felt something within his stomach do an absolute nose dive.

He doesn’t really think he’s going to go in there and lay into Lucci… does he?

“Tsu, what are you doing?” SoYa tried to keep the alarm out of his voice.

“Just helping…?”

Lucci backed up further until he stood with is back pinned to the nearest railing, as if there was nothing more than thoughts of escape on his mind. One hand grasped for the practice sword as TsuYa’s intimidation began its grim work.

He’s just a boy, Tsu…

His brother always seemed to enjoy putting the fear of his abilities into those who were weaker than himself, even back in the students of Nefol. But just lately, there was something about his nature that commanded real fear. And even SoYa could feel it.

If you thrash him here, he may never want to pick up a weapon again.

TsuYa flourished his training blade in a few smooth sweeps of his arm, crouching and closing in on the frightened boy. A predatory grin touched his lips as he urged, “Come on, kid. Show me what you got.”

The boy shook his head vehemently.

“What… you won’t get in trouble if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Still, Lucci shook his head, fear reflecting in his silver eyes.

“You’re really such a coward?” he chided, eyes never leaving the boy’s face. “What a shame. I wanted to see what it would be like to fight a Sygnus.”

“Tsu… stop it. This isn’t funny,” SoYa swallowed, half inclined to hop the rail. He knew that neither Father nor TsuYa were too fond of the boy Sygnus… and all too often did his brother act in behalf of that which he didn’t like. Usually dangerously.

“Arm yourself!” TsuYa commanded, something in the depths of his eyes glittering.

Lucci straightened a bit. His silver eyes shot to the side as his fingers closed around the grip of the little practice blade. The tip of the weapon quivered as the boy lifted it in a defensive position.

“Lucci… don’t! TsuYa is a trained warrior!” SoYa’s fingers gripped the edge of the railing. The inside of his mouth was dry with anticipation, wondering what it would come to… what he would have to do… to stop real injury from occurring.

“Alright kid. Give it to me,” a smug expression slid over TsuYa’s face.

Lucci crept closer, adjusting and readjusting the position between his fingers. His eyes were on TsuYa’s sword, feet moving awkwardly and with no trace of confidence.

The boy’s swing was slow and predictable. TsuYa’s own sword met with it in mid air. Just a light twist of the wrist – he made it look so easy – and Lucci’s sword had been dislodged from his fingers, flying off across the grass. His silver eyes gaped at his empty hands for a second before the point of TsuYa’s sword leveled at his chest.

Tsu..!

“What do you call that?” TsuYa muttered. “That was really… really… really pathetic, kid.”

A breathless squeak broke from Lucci’s lips.

“Go get your sword and try it again,” he commanded, lowering his practice weapon.

SoYa arched an eyebrow, surprised by his brother’s tone of instruction. Even Lucci glanced up in astonishment, silver eyes questioning if he had heard the order right.

“Well?” TsuYa leaned back on one heel. “If you can’t even pick up a practice sword and take a swing at me in here… how are you expecting to go out there with a real weapon and fight the enemy?”

“But…” Lucci swallowed, trying to express his uncertainty. “I don’t understand.”

Neither do I… Tsu, what are you up to?

“Look… don’t push your luck,” the warrior grimaced, turning his face away for a moment. There was a planted sort of disgruntlement there… the fake kind that SoYa had learned to see through years ago. “If anything happens to you in battle, Suzume will cry. And I don’t want to deal with it the next time I see her. Understand?”

The boy nodded slowly, trying to hide the tiny bit of the astonished smile that threatened to cross his face. He seemed to know just as well as SoYa that one didn’t question the unexpected kindnesses that TsuYa offered.

Instead, Lucci silently walked over to retrieve his sword from the grass.

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