Her wings. They unfolded from her shoulders, growing solid and strong against the winds.

They were falling, head down, into the blanket of rumbling darkness below. In some areas, the clouds had exploded upwards, massive pillars that spun into the sky. That was where the Islands of Ceiswyr had fallen through, leaving a trail of stone and dust in their wake.

AsaHi knew that under those clouds lay the cold, distorted earth that had once been the beautiful lands of the Inner Realms. Her homelands, the places where she had once traveled and loved, were devoured by darkness and Chaos.

And now, the one safe place in all the world, the Islands of Ceiswyr, were gone. The loss had been tremendous… not only within her heart, but also to its Patron. Weakened by the blows of Chaos, the Dreigiau was falling. And she was falling with him.

“Zemi!!! Zemi, wake up! Please!” tears streamed down AsaHi’s cheeks. She clutched at his chest, shaking him with what little strength she had left. But he could not hear her. She couldn’t even feel a trickle of awareness… not even the hint of a connection between them.

I’m so sorry, Zemi… I’m so sorry…

The Chaos had struck at the heart and soul of the Arweinydd… and had stolen it away. He was not waking up. And she didn’t know what to do.

I wasn’t able to save you… I wasn’t able to stop the Chaos from taking everything. In the end, Zeromus still won.

AsaHi’s breath came in panicked gasps as the air grew colder. She hugged close to Zemi’s chest, partially in fear… partially in resolve.

But, no matter what happens to me… I won’t leave you here alone… I promise Zemi.

The cold was seeping into her skin, a chill that felt like death had already come. She clamped her eyes shut, shivering all over, her hands feeling numb with the cold as she tried to keep her grip. But she couldn’t feel anything beneath her fingers anymore. And her breath was coming hard… as if air had no meaning.

AsaHi gasped.

She gasped again.

Am I dying!?

The world was denying her breath.

Zemi! Help me!

She was suffocating!

So cold!

She wanted to scream. But no voice came. It was as if she didn’t exist at all.

I can’t… I can’t…!

She felt as if her lungs were ready to explode.  One second more would be the end.

ZEMI!!!

Light filled her vision. A beautiful, warming light that came from within. It shown from between her fingers. Bursting from her torso… along her shoulders. Spreading out from her back. A soft, translucent white that slowly… slowly began to condense.

Soft, glowing white.

Feathers?

To her shock, AsaHi saw feathers. As she looked beyond, she saw even more.

Wings…?!

Her wings. They unfolded from her shoulders, growing solid and strong against the winds. Strength slowly spread back through her limbs. Breath rushed into her lungs again. Feeling returned to her fingers. And her vision cleared…

She could see, now. Not with the same eyes she had once before. But really and truly See.

I’m… Awakened?

As the realization swept over her, she shivered. The world came back into focus. And though only a space of a few seconds had passed since she crossed the line of Awakening, the clouds below were coming closer and closer.

AsaHi discovered very quickly that her wings knew exactly what to do, even if she had never flown before. She gripped the front of the Dreigiau’s shirt, bracing herself with renewed determination, and spread her wings wide. Much to her surprise, they began to slowly descend.

It’s almost as if… Zemi doesn’t weigh anything at all.

Looking down at his pale form, she could only feel worry at that discovery.

Please… Zemi… hold on a little longer. I’ll get us to the ground.

Her wings swept back, softly parting the darkness of the clouds as they came through the bank. The winds howled, growing more vicious, throwing them around in the rise and fall of turbulence. Though her wings burned and ached from the strain, AsaHi held them fast, fighting through the storm… never letting go of the Dreigiau’s limp form.

Finally, they broke through the line of dark clouds and the lands below came into full view. It was raining across the broken earth. Everywhere AsaHi looked, rubble and cracked pieces of the Islands were strewn, leveling the forests that had once been there. The rain was cold and fitting, but it made flight more difficult for her. The further away she came from the moment of Awakening, the more she found herself floundering and struggling.

The sound of people and Dragons rang out across the desolation. AsaHi turned her flight in that direction. Slowly, she was feeling exhaustion washing over her body. She knew that soon she would have to land, whether it was safe or not. So when she caught sight of the first Dragon, she doubled flight speed, heading straight for it.

“Hey!! Hey! We’re over here! Someone!!” AsaHi shouted, so overjoyed that she forgot the danger of flying close to the forest. Before she knew it, tree branches whipped her from every direction, catching up in her wings, tearing out feathers and leaving a trail of white behind her. “OW!! OW!! OWW!!”

AsaHi’s first landing was very unceremonious… a stumble and a flop, careful not to fall on Zemi. Just glad to finally be back on the ground again… even if her whole body stung and bled.

Voices surrounded her. Voices in awe and sorrow. When AsaHi looked up, she found herself within a ring of battered and haggard faces. The winged soldiers of Ceiswyr stared down at her as if they had never seen another Awakened before. Then their gaze fell upon the unmoving form of the Dreigiau.

“Someone! Please! We need a healer!” the girl exclaimed with little patience for their staring. “I think Zemi is hurt!”

That seemed to be enough to kick people into action. The shout went up for a healer – not that there weren’t enough other people that probably needed healing there. But coupled with the words “Zemi is hurt,” a response came fast. The surrounding group of winged men parted as a familiar figure rushed in with wide green eyes.

“SoYa?” AsaHi had forgotten that besides being an Athrylith, he was also a practiced healer.

He seemed to be unscathed from the battle – no doubt that KaiShi had taken good care of him. But his hands were sticky with blood of other men… and she knew from the tired light in his eyes that he had been already making rounds to heal the wounded the best to his ability.

“Zemi!” he gave a shout, leaping over the rubble to get closer. His eyes were fixed at the impossibility of it all. That their Patron, the Dreigiau, could be lying there, unmoving upon the broken remains of the once proud city of Ceiswyr. His voice came again in a whisper, “No… what happened?”

“The Chaos…” AsaHi told him, face lined with pain. “Zeromus. He struck down the Islands. And when he did, it hurt Zemi, too.”

“I… don’t know what I can do for him…” SoYa knelt, already feeling across Zemi’s chest for any sign of wounding. Of course, he would find nothing there. The wounds that the Arweinydd bore were not physical. And AsaHi realized it was true — there was probably little that any healer could do for him.

AsaHi knelt down on Zemi’s other side, placing her hands over top of SoYa’s. Her wings unfurled slowly, cupping over the three of them protectively. For the first time, the Athrylith stared up, seeing them. He had been so focused on Zemi… and she had not been displaying her wings too obviously. Until now.

A whoosh of shocked sound passed between SoYa’s lips. His eyes widened as his mouth fell open in that dumbfounded way he often had. For a long time, he just stared, and AsaHi could see her reflection in the clear light of his eyes.

For the first time, the girl began to wonder… worry… about what her Promised would think of it all.

“A… A…” he stuttered.

This isn’t starting out well…

Finally, SoYa shut his mouth, and tried again. “AsaHi… you’re… a…”

“A really bad flyer… I know,” she joked with a soft face, trying to put a few of her disheveled feathers back in place.

“N…no… I..”

AsaHi lifted her hand, placing a finger on SoYa’s lips. “I’m not important right now. We have to take care of Zemi. And the people…”

He blinked before slowly nodding, his eyes still wide as he stared at her. “Yes… we do. Father… said we need to move… the troops as far away as we can get. We need to leave… the Inner Realms.”

“Leave?” she breathed, the word full of sadness.

SoYa wiped his face on his sleeve. “We’ve lost this battle… if we stay here, we’ll be hunted. We have to try to make for the Spiral.”

Tears suddenly sprang in AsaHi’s eyes as the impact of his words struck her.

That’s it? Just like that? After all we’ve done… how hard we’ve fought…

“We’re not giving up yet, AsaHi,” SoYa reached out to her gingerly. As if he wasn’t sure if he should touch her. “We just have to get to safety.”

She nodded and looked down, “Do you think it’s a good idea to move Zemi… when he’s like this? I mean, taking him out of the Inner Realms. Would that make him worse?”

A raspy, rough voice gave a cough then a mutter, “You talk about me like I’m already gone…”

AsaHi and SoYa both stared down in amazement. Zemi peered back up at them, his eyes hazy, face lined with pain and weakness. But he still managed to smile.

“Zemi!” AsaHi breathed in a long happy sound of relief. Then before she knew what she was doing, she had thrown her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely.

SoYa watched awkwardly. Though his voice was thick, it was obvious that he was glad that the Dreigiau was reviving. “Zemi… are you going to be okay?”

“It was only a little Chaos. I’ll pull through,” the Arweinydd told him with a slight wink. But when he tried to push himself up on his palms, he found he needed help to sit up.

“Zemi… you have to take it slow,” AsaHi advised.

The Dreigiau, however wasn’t listening. He was staring up at her wings, running his finger along one of the feathers. There was a distant look of delight on his face. The girl almost could swear she heard a soft purr in his throat.

“Zemi?” SoYa interrupted with a frown.

“Oh? Yes! Well…” the Arweinydd shook his head out. Then he glanced over at the Athrylith, voice cracking as he spoke. “Tell your father to follow through. Ready everyone that can travel. He’s right… we can no longer stay here. We will take shelter in the Spiral, and from there, figure out what has to be done.”

SoYa nodded grimly. Then he turned and disappeared into the amazed crowd of winged people that stood watching over the Dreigiau.

And at the risk of being misunderstood… I do love you, Zemi Dreigiau!

Please… let me be strong enough…

AsaHi gripped the thick white mane in both of her hands, laying flat against the huge white Dragon’s back. All at once she felt very tiny and very vast – she was both the rider and the Dragon. She could feel and breathe the world with the immense senses of the Dreigiau. But at the same time, she knew that she was just the small, clinging and frightened girl on his back.

Please let me know what to do if Chaos comes…

Dragons and monsters swept around them on every side. Streaks of red flame. Flashes of dark lightning. Blood-freezing screeches and ear-shattering roars. All of it moved around her with an unreal quality.

Her mind flickered back to thinking about SoYa… where he was. What he would do through the battle. She was certain that KaiShi would never allow any harm come to him. But the girl still couldn’t help but worry about him. Afterall, Brunswik’s reports had not been exaggerated.

The Esgyll were far bigger and more dangerous than the ones that she had seen before. Obviously, they had been tweaked to better enable them to fight against Zemi’s Dragons. Everything had been altered — from their size, speed, to their new ability to shoot crackling dark lightning. And it made AsaHi all the more afraid.

Zeromus is learning how to enhance his monsters. Learning from his mistakes. He’s adjusting and changing things.

She probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this. Afterall, Zeromus was once an Arweinydd, like Zemi. Though, unlike the Trine, he was wickedly clever… using his power and influence to take control, consume and twist everything he came in contact with.

And now they were flying straight into the grasps of that darkness. Straight into the core of Chaos itself. Though how they could challenge such a power, AsaHi didn’t know. Their last struggle against Zeromus had only ended when Zemi fled the battle. Anything that he had attempted to do against the power of Chaos had only swayed his own energies towards destruction.

How do we fight it… how? Even if it is just to hold Chaos back for a little longer?

A crack of sharp lightning struck so close that AsaHi could feel the electricity. The sky had grown restless, dark and churning, everything circling around them. The girl realized that they had flown far from the reaches of the main battle, deeper into the heart of the shadows where Zemi was the only point of light that she could see.

Her slender hands gripped Zemi’s mane as she fought to keep the pressing fear from overwhelming her spirit. Everywhere surrounding her was a feeling of terrible dread and hopelessness. That which would consume light and beauty.

That’s when she realized that Zemi hadn’t spoken a word in a long time. In fact, despite all of her conflicting emotion, he had sent her no feeling of support or comfort.

“Zemi! Where are we going?” her voice was tiny in the midst of the violent cloudbursts. Lightning cracked again, so close to striking that it was deflected from Zemi’s own personal energy shields.

-We have to stop this.-

The girl was startled at the sound within her mind. It was the first time in a long time that Zemi had spoken to her through thoughts rather than words. Leaning forward, she could make out the wedge-shape head of the Dragon, pointing skyward.  Something about it looked different. More feral… less Zemi.

Chaos is drawing him in! And I couldn’t even feel it!

Fear leapt into her heart as she realized, she couldn’t feel much at all from Zemi. AsaHi instantly leaned across his neck, pulling hard on his mane, fighting to pull his attention away from the forces she knew were battling inside of his heart, “No! Zemi! Wait! We can’t take on the Chaos one on one! You know that!”

-I can stop this! I am Zemi Dreigiau! Zeromus will NOT threaten my people while I stand idle and watch!-

His lips curled back in a snarl, wings stretching ever wider, pushing them ahead faster.

“Zemi!” the girl began to feel desperate. “This isn’t about power, remember! We’re not supposed to take on Zeromus. We’re supposed to protect the Islands until Lucci gets here!”

- I have the power. Even if I am Rhoi’r, I am no weakling! I do not need to rely on the strength of a mere boy-Sygnus to win my battles!-

“No one is questioning your strength, Zemi!”

-Zeromus thinks that he can take my people from me!-

“He can’t take anything from you Zemi… we choose to stay with you. We choose to fight with you. But neither you nor Zeromus can own us,” she told him, fighting to keep a level voice. “We talked about that, remember?”

-I will own and take what I very well please! And no Earthian will tell me different!- The Dreigiau responded with a deep rumble that shook her to the marrow.

“Zemi! Listen to yourself!” this time she did raise her voice. “You’re starting to sound exactly like Zeromus! Is that what you want to be? No better than him?!”

This isn’t working! He’s not listening to me!

-Who do you think you are to challenge the will of the Patron of Nefol!- The huge white Dragon let up a tremendous roar, displeased by her warnings and words.

His flight had become erratic, his mind shut away from her connection, reaching for the call and temptation of the Chaos. As much as dismay filled her, she knew she had to fight it where he could not… that she couldn’t take his words to heart. That it wasn’t Zemi talking now.

“I’m someone who cares about you, Zemi. Someone who cares a lot,” AsaHi grit her teeth, hands struggling to keep hold. It almost felt as if the howling winds around them were trying to rip her from the Dreigiau’s back.

-You don’t care about me. You love SoYa!-

The voice in her head was so bitter. So accusatory. She had never heard Zemi speak with so much spite and anger. Stunned, AsaHi found herself without words. Stung, she fought to blink back the tears in her eyes. She had no idea that Zemi was still so angry about the situation … he had led her to believe that things would be okay. That he had accepted it.

-Then what I say is true.-

“No… no… Zemi… I.. I do care about you!” she choked on the words. “And I’m really scared for you right now.”

-Prove it.-

AsaHi straightened, a panic filling her. The last thing that she had expected coming there was for her motives and feelings to be questioned. “If I don’t care about you, then why am I here?”

A rumble was her response. As if the Dreigiau was trying to find a retort against it.

“It’s safer to go with SoYa… instead of facing down the void of Chaos with an Arweinydd who is about to lose his head!” her voice grew louder in her ears. “So why would I choose to put myself into a position where I know that I’m going to be the only thing between you and the Chaos?”

Another rumble.

“I’m just an Earthian, like you said before. Don’t you think I get scared?  Don’t you think I feel little when I’m out here in the middle of all these huge things — including you?” AsaHi began to shout to be heard as the winds grew more aggressive around them. “So, why am out here? Why? Maybe it’s because I do care about you in some crazy way?”

The rumbling became more distinct. As if the Dreigiau was trying for spoken words.

“Maybe I always have? I’ve made a Promise to SoYa… but that doesn’t mean that I love only one person in the world completely. It doesn’t mean that I can’t love other people, too,” she was flat out yelling now. “There are different kinds of love in the world! Not all of them end in Promises and Bondings but they are just as valid! And at the risk of being misunderstood… I do love you, Zemi Dreigiau!”

The words cracked across the clouds like thunder, stunning the girl with their power and intensity. The winds moaned and reeled, and as AsaHi watched, the top of the cloud bank suddenly gave way to monstrous, Chaotic form. A huge dark claw swung out at her, striking her from the protection of Zemi’s back.

AsaHi screamed. She was falling fast. Down through the flaming churn of Chaos. Pain wracked her body as thousands of terrible claws slashed through her face, torso and limbs, leaving long gashes of bleeding red as she fell. But her mind was on the Dreigiau that she had left… and what would happen to him now that the connection had been broken. Now that she was no longer there.

Zemi!!!

Suddenly, a voice filled her head. It was so overwhelming, so painful that all other thoughts fled from her mind. It was a voice that she had heard once before… terrible and hateful. The voice of Zeromus.

-YOU CANNOT SAVE HIM, EARTHIAN GIRL-CHILD. YOUR LOVE IS MEANINGLESS. YOUR MEDDLING IN THE STRUGGLES OF ARWEINYDD ENDS HERE!-

But another sound met her ears. A sound from without. A great, powerful voice… calling her name.

“ASAHI!!!”

Though her vision was blurry, the girl managed to tilt her head to look up. Everything was white, warm and brilliant, bursting through the darkness of the clouds… the form of the Dreigiau spread great and luminous as he dove with maw wide open. She realized…

Zemi is trying to catch me?

Despite what the Chaos would want him to believe and feel and do. Despite the fact that his brother-enemy was there to do battle… and only a moment ago, Chaos had convinced him to strike out. Instead, Zemi chose to save her.

There was clarity in the light in his eyes as he sped downwards, wings folded. Everywhere his light passed, the claws of shadows burst away, Chaos pushed back by Zemi’s intense will and emotion. For now, AsaHi could feel it in full… true emotion filling the Arweinydd’s heart and spirit. An emotion that he may not completely understand… but one that he had completely embraced. And in doing so, something about him had grown… in character, in strength and in ability to hold back the darkness that reached for his soul.

“AsaHi…” Zemi’s voice was gentle and calming as he swooped towards her. His huge claws reached out, carefully catching her between his cupped palms and drawing her closer to his chest.

The motion was so strikingly Earthian that AsaHi was lost for words. All she could do was hold on to him, relief flooding her mind… and soaking into his as she felt the connection return between them.

A vast, contemptful growl shook the skies above them as the clouds of Chaos drew inwards again, exposing the wavery, monstrous form of  Zeromus. It was as AsaHi remembered… long streams of blue, tainted black… but this time he was enormous, spreading across the reaches of the sky and trailing out into the clouds.

Her breath caught in her throat. And though she was safe within the hold of the Dreigiau, she felt a cold dread fill her mind.

-ZEMI DREIGIAU. YOU WILL FACE ME!-

“No! I will not fight you!” Zemi responded between clenched fangs. Any desire to battle was clearly gone. No longer did the Chaos tempt him to violence.

-YOU HAVE BECOME WEAK! THE EARTHIANS HAVE STOLEN YOUR PURPOSE AND VISION. THEY HAVE FILLED YOUR MIND WITH THEIR FEELINGS… EMOTIONS… THINGS THAT WILL BE YOUR UNDOING.-

“The Earthians have done nothing to me. I have chosen to become what I have! Their ways are far superior to ours,” the Dreigiau snapped back, holding AsaHi a little closer as he did.

-THEY HAVE DRIVEN YOU MAD.-

“Mad? MAD? You talk to me about madness! Have you looked at what you’ve become?”

-YOU CANNOT SEE IT. MY SORROW GOES OUT TO YOU, BROTHER.-

“Do not call me brother! You are no longer any brother of mine,” Zemi snarled, head lowering.

-THESE THINGS ARE BUT FLEETING, ZEMI. THESE PEOPLE WILL PASS. THIS WORLD WILL WITHER. YOU CANNOT HOLD ON TO THE THINGS YOU LOVE… EVEN THAT GIRL WILL VANISH ONE DAY. AND YOU WILL BE ALONE.-

The Arweinydd choked at the thought. It was obviously something that he had considered before. But his voice came back strong as he responded, “That will not keep me from caring about them… or this world.”

-YOU HAVE SET YOURSELF UP FOR DESTRUCTION, ZEMI. THERE IS NO WHERE LEFT TO GO BUT DOWN… LET ME DEMONSTRATE THE FUTILITY OF THIS FADING EARTHIAN WORLD…-

“What?” AsaHi gasped, a chill rushing through her body at the words.

It happened so fast, there was nothing that anyone, not even Zemi could do to stop it. As they had been talking, the clouds of Chaos had been drawing energy in, strengthening, readying for the great strike. Bolts of darkness leapt from the sky, streaming down from every direction above.

“NO!!” a shout burst from her lips as she lunged forward, holding fast to the white Dragon’s claws. Horror written on her face, all she could do was watch.

The bolts of Chaos struck, one after another after another, pounding from all sides at the fragile faces of the Isles of Ceiswyr. Smaller islands simply burst into a spray of stone and dirt. Larger islands began to burn, then crack, huge pieces of land falling away and raining down from the sky. Though they were too far away to hear the alarms in the Compounds or the screams of the frightened, dying men, AsaHi could feel it. She could feel them all through Zemi’s senses.

Every blow the Islands took. Every life that was lost. The Dreigiau flinched, responding like someone in terrible physical pain. Zemi cried out, reeling back, the cry of something being ripped apart from inside out. An Earthian cry of absolute torment and agony. A cry that rose, mingled with the voiceless cry of dying Ceiswyr.

“Zemi!!!” AsaHi called frantically, her hands clutching her head. Trying to shield herself from the overwhelming waves of pain that flooded her senses. Then suddenly, it was gone.

And with the silence, came the sensation of falling.

The girl opened her eyes, staring straight into Zemi’s colorless face. He was no longer a Dragon, no longer aware… Stripped of strength and power by the profound loss of all he had created. The loss of his people. The loss of their homelands.

The Dreigiau was now falling. Just as Ceiswyr had.

SoYa looked so different encased in the shimmering spirit armor.

AsaHi woke to a long, low rumble followed by a sharp crack. A jolt sent her sprawling out of her bed as the world tilted sideways. She scrabbled hand over hand to get a hold of her blankets, grasp her bed and get some sort of footing under her. As she jammed her feet into her tall boots, she heard the sound of yelling and barked orders out in the halls.

The alarms sounded out over the islands of Ceiswyr.

The girl rushed quickly to her closet and threw a half robe over her shoulders, then secured a wooden staff in one hand. Only a moment later, her door flung open, admitting a ruffled-haired SoYa. He was just pushing one arm through his vest, reaching out for her.

“What’s going on?” AsaHi didn’t hesitate to rush to her Promised. “Are we under attack?”

“It seems like it,” SoYa spoke slowly, getting that odd look on his face that he always had when he was relying on senses beyond what normal people possessed. Then he frowned. “We need to find Father. They’re going to need all the help they can get.”

Help? Me? How?

AsaHi was more than willing to do everything she could to defend their home on Ceiswyr. She wasn’t afraid to fight. She wasn’t afraid to face whatever Zeromus tried to throw at them. But she just didn’t know what she could do against monsters like the Marked or the winged Esgyll. The girl had spent time with the fighters and with Zento learning how to protect herself the best she could in the time she had. But that was a far cry from being of offensive value in a battle.

If SoYa felt her doubts, he didn’t respond to them. He simply led her briskly through the halls, passing out orders to the ground troops in a level, firm voice. He organized the troops where he saw confusion. Offering vibes of support and confidence to those who faltered in the fear of facing battle. With each step that he took, he carried a sense of hope and determination. And the men responded with a mixture of respect and gratefulness.

Even she could feel the effects of the soft encouragement of the Athrylith. And somehow, she found that she didn’t feel so inadequate in the face of what was to come.

SoYa…?

AsaHi followed, looking up at the eldest son of ZenToYa. And she saw, for the first time, the leader that he was becoming. The strength that had been developing, growing silently within him through his training and all of the hardships. Everything that he now wielded at this point, for this battle. Which they all knew would probably be the final turning point for them.

Word had it that Lucci has found a weapon we can use to fight Zeromus. If we can just hold out a little longer. He’s on his way…

And surely, Zeromus knew this as well. Even with the power of his Champion, he was unable to prevent Lucci from obtaining that which could be used to destroy him. This was a battle of desperation for both sides. Zeromus would seek to crush them… and they just had to hold out until Lucci could arrive with the weapon.

They were not taken completely unawares. Ever since reports came to Zemi that Lucci had been successful in his journey, they had been gathering resources, training doubly and running mock-up drills. They hadn’t known exactly when Zeromus would strike or what he’d strike with, but the people of the Dreigiau had done everything within their power to be ready for this battle.

I just hope it was enough.

As they rounded the corner, AsaHi could hear the voice of ZenToYa advising and giving orders to the troops. It was not so much unlike the voice of his son.

“Father!” SoYa led her carefully through the organizing troops.

“SoYa! AsaHi! Good!” Zento waved them forward the moment they caught his eye.

“Where do you need us positioned?” the Athrylith asked, his light voice talking the best that he could over the sound of alarms and men.

“You’ve been requested in the Dragon ranks,” the winged man answered.

“Dragon ranks?” SoYa asked with some surprise. He looked over towards AsaHi, seeming to think that the order was aimed towards the girl alone.

“Both of you,” Zento clarified. “By Zemi’s orders.”

“Huh?” the Athrylith’s air of certainty was beginning to flake away, taken by surprise.

AsaHi had perked up, however. Working with the Dragons was something she could do. Even riding, if she needed to – her riding skills certainly matched anyone else’s there on the Islands.

Not that winged people really need to ride Dragons… but…

SoYa, however, didn’t seem so thrilled at the thought. But he didn’t complain or argue. He simply gave a slow nod.

“SoYa,” Zento reached his hand out to his son. There was the look of age on his face, framed in long silvering strands of hair. It was a father’s face of worry and love. “Please be careful. I’ve arranged an escort to get you to the Dragon compound.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

“Leading the ground troops against the Marked. We’ve already had a breech in security on the northwest isle. No doubt, Zeromus is going to be pouring them down on us,” the winged man frowned.

Now it was SoYa’s time to look worried. “Father…”

Zento gave the softest smile he was able, then hugged his eldest son, “Protect AsaHi… and don’t forget your Arfogaeth.”

“Oh! My armor! Right!” the Athrylith exclaimed suddenly, as if reminded of something that completely slipped his mind. His hand clutched at the throat of his vest for a moment.

Zento reached around with arms and wings and hugged AsaHi to his chest gently. His voice was soft as he murmured, “Take care of SoYa… protect Zemi…”

The girl nodded, looking up into the Champion’s face. “I’ll do my best, Master ZenToYa.”

He cracked a grin and rubbed his hand through her hair affectionately. “You’ll do great. Just be careful for me. Okay?”

“Yes, sir,” AsaHi nodded. Then SoYa took her hand again and she was led off with the accompaniment of a troop of winged men. Heading towards the Dragon compound.

Mind mage or not, there was no holding back the look of open heart ache on Zento’s face as he watched them go.  And being led away, all AsaHi could do was make sure that SoYa didn’t turn around to see it.

As they stepped out of the safety of the Compound, the sky was alive with terror from above. Dragons were locked in terrible battle with the huge dark-winged Esgyll. AsaHi’s eyes were drawn to the streaks of flame and darkness that exploded through the sky above, just inches from the wavering dome barriers that were placed to protect the Islands. Every now and then, she could see the fall of a dark winged form plummeting out of the battle and into the cracks between the Islands. Whether it was an Esgyll or a Dragon, she could not see.

After darting between clumps of trees and buildings, they finally came to the open yard of the Dragon’s compound. The girl could already make out the figures of other Dragons there. As they came closer, she could hear the rumbling sound of Brunswik’s voice.

“They’re different this time, Lord Zemi,” the huge Crimson reported. “I don’t know what Zeromus has been feeding those Esgyll but they’re far stronger than they were in the first two attacks.”

“We’re doing what we can to keep them away from the barriers,” KaiShi flicked her tail with a dragon scowl at her companion.

“I mean, talk about just one chomp – just one — and a man is gone. Gone like that,” Brunswik continued, stretching his wings for effect.

“I see,” Zemi’s face was grim. Strangely, though he was meeting with Dragons, he has not yet taken his own Dragon form yet.

“Chomp!” Brunswik repeated, clamping his huge jaws together. “And gone!”

KaiShi eye ridge twitched with a hint of irritation.

“Thank you, Brunswik,” Zemi intercepted, patting the Crimson on the snout. “Your report was very enlightening.”

“Anytime, Lord Zemi!” Brunswik lifted his head proudly. “I’ll return to my post now?”

“Yes. And please spread the news to anyone who has not engaged yet that the Esgyll may pose a bit more of a threat than they did before,” the Dreigiau nodded.

“Yes sir!” with a hurricane swoop of wings, the huge Dragon winged into the skies, flying fearlessly towards the battle ahead.

KaiShi gave a long suffering sigh.

“He’s got a good heart,” Zemi answered the unspoken question. “And he’s a war machine in battle when the time comes.”

“I know… I know… ” the golden Dragon shook out her mane. Then her ears perked forward as she caught sense of the newcomers. “Zem?”

“Hrm?” the Arweinydd paused, turning and looking directly at them.

AsaHi felt SoYa pause a moment, then stiffen a bit.

“Lord Zemi,” the Athrylith gave a slight bow. “Lady KaiShi.”

KaiShi’s momentary irritation had turned to hope. “You got here safely. Good. Where is that scamp of a father of yours?”

“He’s leading the ground troops,” Zemi answered. “But I’ve asked SoYa and AsaHi to join us in our maneuvers.”

“Oh?” the golden Dragon seemed somewhat surprised.

“Everyone needs to be mobilized in flight for this battle,” the Arweinydd answered and offered nothing else.

AsaHi felt SoYa shiver under her hand at the statement. She didn’t know what the motion meant.

“Are we ready to head out then?” KaiShi asked, tilting her head downward.

“W-wait. Just a moment,” SoYa rasped, fumbling with the front of his vest. After opening his collar and doing a bit of digging, he produced a thin silver chain with a small, round stone on the end.

“Oh?” AsaHi knew what that was. Zento had one similar to it… though she had rarely ever seen it used.

“Arfogaeth? Zemi?” KaiShi gave the Dreigiau a questioning look. Afterall, the spirit armor was something crafted only by the Arweinydd and gifted to certain, special individuals.

“The boy needs to protect himself?” Zemi shrugged.

“I suppose so,” the golden Dragon frowned a little. “Very well…”

SoYa had walked a few paces away, face a blanket of concentration. He cupped the stone between his hands, sweat on his brow as he closed his eyes. It responded, giving off a soft, lilac light that slowly inched its way along the outline of his hands… then up his arms and along his shoulders.

AsaHi drew in a quiet breath as she watched the outline build itself, bit by bit, into long slender shoulder plates, padded vestments and sturdy plated gloves. Weightless and ethereal, tiny etched designs of loops and weaves spread along the white armor as it began to solidify. It was a good deal different from the armor that his father wore – more mage-like and ornate in quality. Embedded within the center of the chest piece, the small lilac stone gave off a quiet light.

“It worked?” SoYa stretched out his hands, staring at them in wonderment. Then he looked up at AsaHi with an excited boyish grin. “AsaHi… it worked! Look!”

“It’s… wonderful, SoYa?” AsaHi smiled warmly, lost what else to say. SoYa looked so different encased in the shimmering spirit armor. So grown. So steady and sure. Even the smile was one of knowledge and understanding that had come to him.

He looks so much like Zento sometimes…

“Well, someone has an artistic streak in them,” KaiShi commented as she watched. There was a hint of pride in her words.

“Must have gotten it from his mother,” Zemi’s voice rumbled far above their heads.

AsaHi blinked up in surprise. Staring straight at the huge muzzle of the great white Dragon. As SoYa had been discovering the workings of his armor, Zemi had also transformed. His huge wings half unfurled covered them all, even KaiShi, in a soft white glow that streamed down around them.

There was something that had changed about him, too. Something protective. Something caring and concerned. Not that he hadn’t been in the past… but the feeling of the Dreigiau’s mind was different.

It was as if he understood now exactly what he risked… for himself. And for others.

“Zemi…” AsaHi reached a hand upwards, pausing a moment before touching the white mane. Instead, she looked at SoYa, in concern of what he would think.

It was obvious what she was meant to do… that she would Ride the Dreigiau in facing the darkness. In hopes that her Drei’distau would be enough to protect him from the grasps of the Chaos that had taken Zeromus.

But at the same time, AsaHi had no idea what SoYa thought of it. That the Arweinydd who was in love with his Promised would sweep her away in Dragon wings.

The Athrylith was watching them, a forced look on his face. As if part of him was struggling with it. But the other part spoke instead, somewhat comforted by her concern, “AsaHi… don’t worry about me. We all have to do what we can to protect the people. This is your place in the battle. I’ll do mine.”

The words sounded so much like something Zento would say. Even the way he lifted his chin with the last few words. Enduring things that were personal struggles… for the good of other people.

“SoYa…” AsaHi suddenly rushed over, throwing her arms around SoYa’s neck.

The girl was awed and stricken by who her Promised was becoming. She wished that they had never had to live through times that forced him to be this way. That she had put him in the position of conflict with their Patron. That he couldn’t remain as he had always been — simple and kindly SoYa.

His embrace was gentle, though. And his voice was soft as he reassured her. SoYa offered a quiet smile as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Everything will be okay…”

AsaHi nodded and after a moment they parted, walking their separate ways. He, to the golden Dragon. And she, to the waiting Dreigiau.

“I know that a leader has to sacrifice for his people… but Zemi… haven’t I given you enough?”

“I’ve been expecting you, ZenToYa,” the Arweinydd’s voice fell from the lofty throne above. The scent of flowers was strong in the air and the sunlight played down through the fluttering leaves. As if nothing terrible at all was going on in all the world.

When Zento had been younger, these things would have impressed him. Zemi knew that, and seemed to remember the eager youth that he had raised back in the Host Gate from childhood. But the last twenty some years since the Awakening had changed Zento.

I’m not that kid anymore, Zemi… I have children of my own. A family. There are some things in life that are more important than your games.

Even before his Awakening, the death of his beloved wife had been a terrible, sobering wake-up call. From that point on, the carefree boy-man that he had been for most of his life had been forced to grow up and mature. To juggle the roles of being a single father and a leader of the greatest nation in the Inner Realms.

And in both accounts, I’ve failed to come through.

And now, Zento stood before the Dreigiau’s throne, fighting back bitterness that gripped his chest. Again. Once again, his family was being put at risk for the whims of the Arweinydd who seemed to understand very little about what it meant to have children. To have a family to love and worry for.

Sure. You slap the title “sister” on Zazo and Zeni and create a make-shift family. But it’s not the same. You can’t possibly understand.

It hurt. It hurt because he was constantly torn between his duty to the Arweinydd who raised him from a boy… who taught him secrets that no other had ever known… who lifted him up from an orphan to be the High Guide over all of Nefol. Everything he had was touched by Zemi’s influence and teaching.

And now, as he stood at the foot of the throne, the winged man realized that there was so much anger between them. Never before had Zento felt pangs of misunderstood bitterness towards his Patron. And it seemed that every time he turned around, Zemi was doing something else that made his quiet anger grow.

Zemi sat with one leg hooked over the arm of the throne, leaning back in a casual manner. There was nothing mighty in the way he sat… as if he knew enough to realize that should he attempt to pull any formality at that point, that Zento would have had it right there.

Cutting right to the chase, Zento frowned, “What’s this I’ve heard about the search party going beyond the reach of the Inner Realms?”

The Dreigiau nodded and rightened himself on the throne, “I figured Kudako would bring you the news. Yes, the search party has left the Inner Realms to pursue Lucci.”

“How? Did they go through the Passage?”

“No…”

“Then how? It’s not possible to leave the Inner Realms without traveling through the Passage, Zemi,” Zento put his hands on his hips, wings bristling behind him.

“Zento… relax. If you don’t unwind, you’re going to spring yourself rash,” Zemi murmured folding his hands in front of his chin.

“I want answers, Zemi. I’m tired of being the last one to know!”

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the last to know… you’re one of the first, in fact,” the Dreigiau winced. There was a strangely subdued look to his face. Like a puppy who had just chewed up the slipper and was trying to find the best way to admit it.

Only, this was a very… big… puppy.

“Okay. Spill it,” Zento pressured, with a deep scowl on his face.

“Will it make you content if I do?” Zemi frowned in return, a slight glitter in his teal eyes.

“Yes.”

“No… it won’t,” the Dreigiau got up from the throne and paced slowly down the stairs.

Zento fell silent, watching. Anger was momentarily replaced with curiosity.

“Anything that I tell you will just feed your anger towards me,” Zemi intoned, waving his hands. “Anything that I don’t tell you will just feed your anger doubly towards me. Zento, I’ve gotten to a point where no matter what I do, I lose. And I don’t know where to take it.”

“Look, I didn’t come here to talk about me…”

“I know. You’re here to chastise at me for putting your son at risk.”

Zento closed his mouth, pressing it into a firm line.

“But I want you to know that it’s a risk that your son chose to take of his own free will. Never did I force him to go,” Zemi waved a hand in the air. “In fact, he was the one that volunteered from the start.”

“Maybe,” Zento’s frown deepened. “But I bet you everything that Tsu is out there acting without knowing the whole story.”

It was Zemi’s turn to fall silent.

“Isn’t he, Zemi Dreigiau?” the winged man thrust one finger forward. “You do to him just like you’ve always done to me. Send us out to fight your battles for you, blindly. Or make us believe you’re trying to achieve one thing, maybe something that we’d like to see happen, while actually working to do something completely different.”

“If you’re still sore about what happened in the Spiral, it all worked out, yes?” the Arweinydd told him with spread hands.

“Yes. That worked out. But what about–”

“And I told you time and again that if you were patient, that your family would come to be with you in Ceiswyr. That has happened, yes?”

“Zemi! It’s not always about the outcomes!” Zento threw both of his hands over his head in exasperation. “You know what your problem is? You only see things based on results. You totally discount the experience and pain that happens on the way to get those results. But that’s not how Earthians work!”

The Dreigiau opened his mouth as if to speak, but the Champion continued, not allowing it.

“Our memories… our very souls… are made up of the passage of time. Of experience. Of what happens day to day,” the winged man shook his head. “Sure, it’s great that you built a beautiful place for your people to thrive. That is a wonderful outcome. But Zemi, if it hurts people along the way to achieve it… and especially if it hurts the people closest to you… maybe you’re going about it all wrong!”

Silence fell over the gardens. A low flying cloud found the perfect time to scuttle down and block away the warmth of the sun. Zento’s chin was up, body posed in a defiant manner. His mind was filled with images of his past… of all the things that had been spurred on by the Dreigiau that had led to this today. Bitterness. Anger. Reproach.

The feeling of shock and horror as he experienced his Awakening, never having been warned of it’s coming. The feeling of fear and exile as he was hunted down like a beast by his own people, none of them knowing what it meant to have wings.

The feeling of deep loss and regret in being forced so far away from his two young sons… the knowledge that he had lost so much time with them. That he was never able to see his youngest boy grow up… that he was never there for TsuYa. And now… TsuYa was sent so far away, into dangerous lands of unknown… chasing the one thing that was destined to destroy them all.

A tempest of emotion swelled from his soul, filling the gardens with a darkness that was more than the shadows of passing clouds. The hurt and pain and suffering of a Champion’s endless sacrifice for his Arweinydd. All which had seemed to have gone unnoticed… with nothing but the goals in mind. Nothing but the next big project. The next city to be established. The bringing of great things to all the other people… everyone except for himself.

And for that moment, Zento chose to be selfish. His voice was full of pain and regret, face hurt and accusing, “I know that a leader has to sacrifice for his people… but Zemi… haven’t I given you enough?”

A despairing, stricken expression flooded Zemi’s face in response. For the first time ever, Zento could feel it — a true trickle of emotion… of deep remorse and sorrow… breaking through the light and shadow of the Dreigiau’s mind.

Of course, the Arweinydd had hints of emotion before that Zento could sense. But most of them were shallow, fickle and fleeting. This… was something far deeper. Far more real. Almost Earthian in nature.

“Oh, Zento… I’m so sorry,” Zemi’s voice cracked. His hands lifted, as if to cover his face, but he didn’t seem to know what the expression meant or how to complete it. So he left them extended, almost a motion of pleading. Searching for guidance. Searching for forgiveness.

Zento felt a pang rush through his chest. No matter how angry he was… no matter how much he felt that Zemi may have been in the wrong… he still cared deeply for the Dreigiau. And the way that the Arweinydd was responding showed that Zemi also cared very deeply for the sacrifice and pain that he had subjected his Champion to.

“Things have not been working out the way I thought they would at all,” the Dreigiau admitted with a thick voice. “In fact, they may be far worse off than I’ve been letting on.”

A ripple of fear rushed over Zento’s body. He didn’t know whether to be afraid, concerned or angry. But so far, anger had done nothing but blind him to the emotions of others… when he was the one who was scolding Zemi for doing that very same thing.

Maybe… Zemi hasn’t been telling me things… because he doesn’t think I’ll be very receptive towards anything he has to say. Then… whose fault is it that I don’t know these things? Is it my own?

The winged man dropped his eyes, a shroud of silence washing away the tension. Silence and understanding of his own shortcomings. Because the truth was, though he was the Champion of the Dreigiau, he had no idea what it was like to be standing in Zemi’s shoes right that moment… or would he ever.

“Alright, Zemi…” Zento peered up with a softness in his eyes. “Tell me what’s going on. I’ll do my best to listen.”

The Arweinydd’s expression responded to the change in Zento’s approach instantly. There was a hint of pain… but also a hint of hope. As if he was dearly yearning for the help and support of his Champion and just didn’t know how to traverse the boundaries that had been placed between them.

“Okay. Let’s talk,” Zemi finally said, looking thankful. He walked over and stat down on the stone steps that lead up to the throne.

Zento followed suit, settling down on the steps next to his Patron. Glancing over, he took a deep breath, the anger and frustration slowly draining out of his frame. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was making a right choice for someone else.

And as the Arweinydd began to explain, the Champion listened.

“AsaHi... is it really smart to... wake up... a sleeping Dragon?” the Athrylith choked.

Brunswik was perched out on the edge of the Island, making all the trees around him look tiny in comparison. His vast bulk was packaged down with items and supplies that were shipped to and from Wyndor and the friendly tribes of the Spiral. Despite this, the huge crimson Dragon seemed completely unhindered. In fact, as AsaHi came walking up to him, she found that he was very much asleep.

“Brunswik?” she called softly. It was always a good idea to give him a heads up before approaching him asleep, AsaHi had learned. Brunswik had a habit of rolling over in his sleep… sometimes with people standing there.

A deep rumble shook the ground around her feet. For a moment, she looked alarmed. Then she realized… the Dragon was just snoring.

AsaHi sighed and hopped up on his huge claw. Walking over, she placed her hands on the giant snout and pushed. “Brunswik? Wake up?” “Uhhh… AsaHi?” a quiet voice came from behind.

“Oh?” The girl turned around to see SoYa’s concerned face peering up at her.

Inevitably, her gaze strayed past that when she noted that he had just come from a sparring session. There was a towel still wrapped around his neck and he was dressed down in a warrior’s sparing garb… which did a lot to accent some of the finer points of his torso.

It’s hard to believe he was ever such a bookworm!

AsaHi giggled her approval, despite herself.

SoYa’s face flushed a little as he tugged on the towel, “Heeeey… what are you laughing at?”

“Noooothing?” she grinned, hopping down from her perch on the Dragon’s claw. With a gentle sound, she came over and wrapped her arms around her Promised and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “You’ve been at practice today?”

“Yeah, with Father,” he told her, tilting his head down slightly and putting one arm around her slender shoulders. “What about you?”

“I just got done talking to Zemi,” AsaHi said. Then, she suddenly wished that she hadn’t. Afterall, sometimes SoYa seemed sensitive about the talks that she and Zemi had when they were on their own. Not that he didn’t trust her to do the right thing… but sometimes everything between the three of them was all just hard, still.

Surprisingly, SoYa didn’t pull away. It was almost as if he was seeking her closeness for the moment. “Oh… what did he say?”

“He was upset about… things,” AsaHi answered with a frown. “I don’t think he told me everything, though. He seems to be keeping a lot to himself.”

“Yeah…” SoYa murmured, laying his cheek on the top of her head. “Same with Father.”

“Why? Is something wrong with Zento?” she peered up at him, then wrapped one of his longer curls around her finger. She adored how his hair looked now that he had started to grow it out.

“He was upset, too. About Tsu… and just all sorts of stuff,” her Promised told her. “Kudako came and told him some more bad news. So I guess Father’s gone to duke it out with Zemi right now.”

AsaHi sighed. “They’ve really been at odds lately, haven’t they?”

“Father and Zemi?”

“Yeah.”

“Now that you mention it… yes,” SoYa frowned and pulled back from her a little. His face was concerned. “I think it’s really hard on them both. Father’s always been Zemi’s biggest support… so now that they’re not seeing eye to eye. And in the middle of this war, too.”

“That’s really not good,” AsaHi said quietly.

“Well, hopefully they’ll work it out between themselves.”

“You think there’s a chance in that?” she arched an eyebrow, taking a step away from him.

“I don’t know?”

AsaHi caught her hands in his and began to swing them back and forth between them. It was something that she used to do a lot when they were younger… and she could see by the hint of a smile on SoYa’s face that he remembered with fondness.

“So what are you up to?” he asked, squeezing her hands gently.

“Oh! That’s right… I was going to give this letter to Brunswik!” the girl turned quickly, dropping his hands. “Thanks for reminding me.”

SoYa looked a tad disappointed. But he was used to her sudden turns and just nodded.

Hopping back up on the Dragon’s claw, she proceeded to push on his snout again. “Brunswik! You big lazy! Wake up!”

The ground shook again as the Dragon rumbled. One golden eye fluttered open and SoYa startled back as the pupil dilated then shrank to a slit, focusing on the two of them.

“AsaHi… is it really smart to… wake up… a sleeping Dragon?” the Athrylith choked.

“I was having such nice dreams, too,” Brunswik’s huge voice vibrated up through her hands, a pleasant feeling quiver through all of AsaHi’s body. “Ahh… smoked perth. How I miss it.”

The girl just laughed, a soft, silvery sound. “Are you dreaming of food again?”

“What else is worth dreaming of, Morh-AsaHi?” the Dragon lifted his head and shook out his mane.

AsaHi just laughed again. Despite his initial alarm, SoYa was also grinning. Brunswik’s laid-back nature just had that effect on people.

“Are you going to be our mail Dragon for this week, Brunswik?” the girl asked.

“That’s right. I am,” the crimson sighed deeply.

“Something happen?”

“Aww… I just messed up on flight formations again,” Brunswik told her. “I don’t get the point in all of this formal stuff that KaiShi wants us trained in. I mean, when I’m out fighting things, last thing I’m going to think about is staying one wing’s width away from the Dragon on my right.”

SoYa laughed again, “That sounds like me. I can’t ever get all this war talk right.”

“You too, Master SoYa?” the Dragon tilted his head. “Odd… I thought the eldest son of ZenToYa would have been–”

Watching SoYa’s face fall, AsaHi intercepted, “Brunswik… not everyone is always interested in the same things as their parents were. SoYa has a lot of talent in other areas, though.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. The Athrylith. Dragons speak highly of your power,” Brunswik went on chatting, completely oblivious.

“Uhn… thanks?” her Promised rubbed the back of his head with a frown.

Don’t worry, SoYa… he often doesn’t think before he speaks.

AsaHi’s eyes slipped sideways to watch the Athrylith’s startled reaction. It wasn’t often that she attempted what they called “mindspeak”. In fact, she really couldn’t mindspeak at all… it was more the fact that if she tried to concentrate her thoughts towards SoYa, very often he could “hear” what she was trying to think.

She knew that usually, SoYa refused to listen in on other people’s thoughts and emotions. At least, he rarely did on purpose. But every now and then, he had told her, there was someone who would think “loudly” or feel “loudly” and he couldn’t help but pick up things that they so freely broadcasted.

TsuYa was one of the loud ones, SoYa had said. Which always seemed strange to AsaHi… considering TsuYa was externally so quiet and unemotional.

The Athrylith glanced at her, obviously having received her broadcast. He never looked very certain as to how he should respond when she surprised him with things like that. But this time, he just gave a slow nod signifying that he understood.

It’s really not so bad having Athrylith as a Promised…

She didn’t know if SoYa had picked up that thought or not. But she gave him the biggest grin she could.

“So, is there something I can do for you, today… as official Mail Dragon, in flight to Wyndor this afternoon?” Brunswik finally turned the conversation back to the original topic. It had only taken five minutes before he realized he had gone so far astray.

“Yes, actually, I have a letter to send,” the girl told him.

“It’s the yellow sack over there on the ground,” Brunswik pointed his nose towards it.

“Thanks!” AsaHi gave him a final pat on the nose before she hopped down to put the letter in the sack.

“Who are you writing to, AsaHi? Aunt SaRa?” SoYa watched her with a puzzled face.

“No… but you really should! How long has it been since you’ve written anyone there?” the girl chided him with a glance over her shoulder.

“Well… uh…”

“Don’t give me the excuse that your handwriting is bad, either. I’ve seen it. It’s lovely,” she waved a finger in his face.

SoYa coughed and turned the conversation back to his question, “So who are you writing?”

“To Suzume?”

“Oooh..?” the word held a note of something unanticipated… but made sense once he considered it. “That’s nice of you.”

“Yes… since Lucci hasn’t been able to write to her in a while. Since he’s been sick. And now that he’s gone, I thought that I’d let her know why he hasn’t responded,” the girl’s face blanched a little.

“Yeah…” SoYa frowned slowly. “I bet that wasn’t easy…”

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever written,” AsaHi sighed with a nod. “She’s waiting and waiting for this war to be over so that she can see him again.”

The Athrylith didn’t say anything. His face just fell sad at the thought, as if it hadn’t been something he had considered before that moment. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “We’re doing everything we can to make that happen.”

The girl walked over and wrapped her hands around his arm. “I know, SoYa. It’s not easy… everyone’s trying so hard. And it feels like all the answers are so far away. For us all… even Zemi.”

The rumbling through the ground told them that Brunswik had gone back to sleep already. So the two of them took their leave, arm in arm, walking across the Island. It was something they had done often back along the streets of Nefol. AsaHi had loved to walk the market streets and see all the color and smell all the foods. Living in a Gathering in her young years, she had never quite gotten accustomed to the sights and sounds of a city.

Now, they were there, on an Island in the sky. So far away from home. But still together. And finding the same comfort within each other as they had always found. Maybe even more now… for it wasn’t hard to see how much they had both grown since the day they first left Nefol. And even though they had changed… there was something about their changes that complimented each other.

AsaHi had discovered so much about SoYa… what he really was… who he was meant to be… and the hidden strength that lay behind his gentle eyes. And she had learned so much about herself… at first, seemingly magic less, but in truth holding power over the Dragons of their world… the power to help guide and overcome the Chaos that threatened Zemi Dreigiau.

“It’s hard to believe… how far we’ve come,” AsaHi whispered, peering out over the rise of the distant hills.

“I know…” SoYa replied, sensing the flow and depth of her thoughts. “A year ago… I would have never imagined myself here. Like this.”

“Me either,” she laid her head against his shoulder.

“I guess that’s why we have to keep believing in things to come. There’s so much we can’t see yet. The best we can do is walk forward with hope… and help others do the same,” the Athrylith spoke vaguely.

AsaHi smiled. Something about the words were just like SoYa to say… but their depth still took her by surprise.

“SoYa,” she murmured, turning around to face him. “I love you.”

Her head tilted back as AsaHi stood up on her toes. And they shared a simple kiss.

The Athrylith croaked, a pained light to his eyes. “Is Tsu not going to be alright?”

SoYa could hear the air whoosh out of Father’s lungs as the warrior caught himself on his palms against the railing of the practice yard. Fighting to keep his face, the winged man shoved himself back into the fray a mere moment later.

But SoYa had already backed off. He released his hold over the mind powers that they had been sparring with.

“That was a good shot, SoYa,” Father said with a quavering smile. “You’re really getting a good grasp on this lesson.”

“Father…” the Athrylith intoned quietly, hinting in one word that he knew something else was going on. Something that had left his father in a state of preoccupation and worry for days on end.

His mind’s so far away, he can’t even spar properly. I know he’s worried about Tsu… but I wonder why this much?

When the winged man saw that his son was putting away the sparring equipment, he gave a slow frown. A frown that seemed to show his age, just for that moment. “SoYa… are we calling it so soon? You were just starting to get moving!”

Tsu’s been down to the Mainland for weeks at a time on his own and Father never fretted this much.

The Athrylith shook his head gently, brushing his fingers through his thick curly hair. It was all coming out of the tie-back he had tried to put it in before sparring. It wasn’t quite the warrior’s knot that his father wore. But it was the closest thing to it that an Athrylith such as himself could hope to earn.

Despite the disappointment churning around him, Father didn’t push the issue. He simply walked over and splashed water from the bowl over his face and dried it on the waiting towel. Quickly, SoYa approached in imitation, hoping to catch his father in conversation before the winged man was swept off to do something more pressing.

Father arched an eyebrow, catching a glimpse of the expression on his son’s face. Not being one to wait around, he started, “SoYa… is there something on your mind?”

“Actually, Father,” the Athrylith toweled off his face, bright green eyes peering over the soft cloth. “That’s what I was going to ask you.”

“Me? Why?” he gave a short laugh. Just like SoYa knew he would.

“Your not up to snuff with your sparring,” he joked. It was something that Father often would say when either he or Tsu were daydreaming off and not paying proper attention during lessons.

“Is that so?” a slow smile crossed the winged man’s face. It was a relief to see. Father spent far more time with a furrowed brow than a warm grin lately. And it wasn’t like him.

“Yeah,” SoYa smiled in return. But then the smile faded. “You’re worried about Tsu, aren’t you?”

The Champion glanced over at his son and gave a grimace. “You could tell?”

“Of course… I was trained by the best?” the Athrylith broke a gentle grin.

Father laughed, long and low, clapping one hand on his son’s shoulder. He shook his head for a while, the lines at the corners of his eyes softening just a bit.

SoYa leaned back against the fence, taking a drink from the bottles that had been set out for them earlier. Lately, his sparring outfit had begun to look more and more like his father’s. With the warm weather coming in, and no real physical weapons being used, that usually included a pair of loose knickers and a tank top shirt.

Father also leaned against the fence, peering out over the distant compound. The laughter was gone again, short lived. It seemed like he was trying to figure out the best way to begin. SoYa didn’t interrupt… in fact, he was just happy to know that Father would consider discussing something with him at all.

“It’s not just about this trip,” the winged man finally said, folding his hands in front of him along the wooden surface.

The Athrylith glanced over, giving all of his attention while leaving as much room as he could for Father to continue. If there was any area that they were alike, it was in how neither of them liked to burden others with the troubles that weighed on their shoulders. And even when there was a willingness to discuss things, words came hard and slow.

“I thought…” Father struggled shaking his head. “I thought when Aur created the amulet for Tsu that everything would be alright. Maybe I was being foolish to believe that something like that could cure him completely. But he hasn’t had any more bad dreams. The dark patch on his chest hasn’t changed. He’s been able to leave the Island without worry for over a year now. So when I hear that Tsu might not be well, still, it was a real shock to me.”

“Shock…?” SoYa echoed, a numbness creeping over his body as he digested his father’s words. After a moment, he was able to swallow down the heavy lump in his throat.

“You didn’t know about it either, then?” Father glanced over at him, watching his reaction.

“No…” the Athrylith croaked, a pained light to his eyes. “Is Tsu not going to be alright?”

The winged man balled one fist and took in a ragged breath. “I’m sorry, SoYa. I probably shouldn’t have said anything to you…”

SoYa shook his head mutely. It was an awful thing to hear. But then, he wanted to know. He wanted to be able to share in his father’s burden of knowledge. He wanted to be there for his brother if Tsu really was still in trouble.

Maybe there’s a chance we can find a real cure then…

“SoYa…” Father’s sad eyes flickered over to him. There was little doubt that he knew exactly what his son had been thinking. “You’re always the optimistic one. I’m glad…”

“Where did you hear that Tsu was still sick?” SoYa asked thoughtfully. “Just like you, all this time I thought he was doing better?”

The winged man drew in a deep breath and rubbed his cheek with one hand. “Zazo told me about it… after the attack on the Islands.”

“Really? Zazo?”

“Yeah. I’m curious about that, too. She always seems to have one eye on Tsu, especially when things get dangerous,” he mused. “Makes me wonder why Zemi sent both of them out together to bring LuShi back.”

Poor Tsu. Zazo’s got her eye on him?

SoYa gave a short laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“No.. nothing…” he waved one hand sheepishly. “Keep going… what else did she say to you?”

“Nothing definitive,” Father sighed. “Just that she could sense things in Tsu that were changing. She said he would keep changing… and that nothing but the destruction of Zeromus would be able to cure him for good.”

“Oh…” SoYa frowned. The lump had come back in his throat, making it hard for him to say anything.

It’s true. There’s things about Tsu that just seem… weird. Like how he was able to throw Father off of him during that the training we had. Almost as if he was a whole lot stronger all the sudden. I wonder what it means.

“She also said not to give up on him. That Tsu had a strong, fighting will,” Father was obviously having a lot of trouble speaking at this point.

“He does!” SoYa offered quickly, trying to ease up on the bad tension. “She’s right about that, Father. Tsu won’t back down from a fight… he never backs down from anything. So he’s not going to give up on this either, no matter what’s happening to him.”

Father nodded, blinking back his emotion. His hand opened and closed, hanging over the side of the fence. His breath was choked as he fought to regulate his outside reactions.  When he finally spoke again, his usually fearless voice was broken, “It’s my fault, isn’t it, SoYa? It’s because I left you when you were younger…?”

“What?” genuine shock echoed in the word. Staggered, he could only stare at his father’s grieved features.

“Maybe if I hadn’t left… Tsu wouldn’t have…”

“Father… no! Don’t you blame yourself for this!” SoYa quickly stepped over and grasped the winged man’s shoulder. “What happened… years ago when you first Awakened… that wasn’t your fault. It was the Council who ran you out. It was KoGuRai who lied. You did the best that you could do!”

He wasn’t too sure how to go about addressing this. Most of what he learned about what happened to Father during the years that he had vanished from Nefol was through Aunt SaRa. Father himself rarely ever spoke about the experience… but SoYa knew that there was a lot of pain associated with the first Awakening. And a lot of regret that Father felt having been exiled and forced to leave himself and TsuYa behind.

Never did either of the sons blame their father for what had befallen them in their life. Never did they even consider pointing a finger at the absence of their father as a cause for the strife that they had to endure in his loss. They were just happy to have their father back in their life again… even if it was in such a dark time.

Despite that, I’ve known that Father’s blamed himself for what’s happened to Tsu. That’s why he’s always fought so hard to find an answer to help him.

And now, despite all the best efforts made, TsuYa still wasn’t cured. SoYa could understand why Father would feel discouraged and full of remorse.

Father sighed and waved one hand in front of his chest. “All that I’ve done has never been good enough.”

SoYa shook his head slowly, “Tsu wouldn’t want to hear you talking like this. Don’t doom him to loss – you can bet that he’s going to fight this till the end. Even what he’s out there doing right now is a form of him fighting against this. And we need to be fighting along side with him.”

Father hunched over the fence railing for a moment. When he answered, it was slow and composed. “You’re right, SoYa. He’s going to rely on me to keep it together. I can’t let him down on my end.”

SoYa stood quietly, feeling the soft summer breeze on his back. He wanted to add something more to the conversation, but Father seemed lost in thoughts. And he felt like the most important words had already been put out on the floor. So he just remained quiet company, hoping that something he said would be uplifting to his father’s spirits.

After a while of silence, the sound of approaching footfalls drew their attention. Down the path, they caught a glimmer of blue and gold – which could only belong to one figure.

“‘Dako?” Father lifted his head, watching the approach. With one deft leap, he cleared the top of the fence and strode out to meet his old friend.

SoYa chose to use the proper gate and followed at a distance. He could hear the two exchange a quick greeting before somber talk came.

But then again, with Kudako, everything is somber talk.

As he approached, he could better hear what was being said.

“I know you will not like what I’m going to say,” Kudako leaned back on one heel, giving his once-student a stern look. “But you must hold yourself together better than you have been. The people here rely on you to lead and fight.”

“I know, ‘Dako. I’m trying…”

“Very well,” the Dragon nodded. “There is news of your son and the search party.”

Father straightened instantly, “Is everything okay?”

“They are fine, Zento,” Kudako replied. “They had a run-in somewhere in the mountains, but it seems your son was victorious against KoGuRai.”

“That’s wonderful!” the winged man smiled slowly.

“Yes, well, that’s not all of it.”

“What else?”

“It seems the path of their travels has taken them beyond the boundaries of the Inner Realms,” Kudako intoned slowly.

SoYa blinked in surprise. He could see surprise on Father’s face, too.

They’ve gone that far? But they have only been away for a week and some days!

“They’ve gone into the Spiral?” Father asked quickly.

“No. Lord Zemi gave the idea that they’ve gone somewhere else. Not the Spiral,” the Dragon shook his head, giving the closest thing to a shrug that he would.

“How can that be?”

“I am not the one to ask for clarification, Zento. I’m just relaying what Lord Zemi spoke.”

“Zemiiii…” Father gave a frustrated sigh, running his fingers through his hair and leaning back on one foot. He seemed to think for a moment, peering up at the passing cloud banks. Then he sighed again. “Alright. I’ll go see what that Dreigiau is up to now. I just wish he’d tell me these things… especially when they have to do with my son.”

Kudako nodded curtly, but said nothing else. There was a gleam in the Dragon’s golden eyes that said that his silence was there for a good reason.

Though Father seemed like he was about to walk off in his usual hurry, he paused. Turning slowly, he gave SoYa a soft smile and a soft mind-touch that spoke his thanks and his love.

Then with a flourish of feathers, ZenToYa strode off towards the Dreigiau’s chambers.

Something about his poise abruptly reminded AsaHi of the first time she had seen him on that morning long, long ago.

AsaHi was walking out in the gardens when she first felt it. Though she wasn’t magic-natured like a lot of the people around her and couldn’t always sense things that they could, there were certain things that she could feel. Usually, the things she sensed were directly associated to Dragons.

About 90% of the time, that Dragon would be Zemi. Just like AsaHi knew it was now.

I wonder what’s going on?

There was always something about the way he felt that set Zemi apart from the other Dragons. AsaHi never knew how exactly to explain it – it was as if there was something vast and overwhelmingly indefinite that resided within an outer design of a Dragon. Sometimes she thought that it was only because of this outer design that she could sense things about him at all… and usually the things she sensed were fragments.

Emotions that weren’t quite whole. Streams of communication that were almost thoughts, but not quite. And something deeper beyond, that was nameless and extraordinary in a beautiful and frightening way.

AsaHi crept quietly around the corner of the hedge and peered into an area that always reminded her of a courtyard. Though it was still part of the gardens, it was a little more open here with small well-kept trees and rows of multicolored flowers blooming between. A small waterfall trickled into a tiny pool in the center of it all where the flickers of light under the surface of water spoke of fish.

Zemi Dreigiau sat crouching over the calm end of the pool, as if inspecting his reflection. Something about his poise abruptly reminded AsaHi of the first time she had seen him on that morning long, long ago. But when his eyes flickered up to see her, all likeness to her memory vanished. There was no doubt that the Arweinydd had already changed immeasurably since those first days… and still continued to do so as he grew to understand more about the Earthian people.

“Zemi?” her voice carried out over the trickle of water.

The concern and question in her voice must have been obvious because the Dreigiau motioned AsaHi forward with the wave of one hand. More and more lately, when she would come near, it felt as if Zemi would attempt to make himself appear as gentle as he could.

“Hi… AsaHi?” the Dreigiau said as he rose to greet her approach. “It’s a great day out, isn’t it?”

The girl crossed her arms knowing that anytime Zemi started out with small talk, something far bigger was going on underneath it all. And she could sense it… a strange feeling about him that had not been part of his emotions before. She didn’t know what it meant, though.

“Yeah, it’s real nice,” AsaHi replied, playing along.

It was evident to them both that no one was fooled.

“Is everything okay?” he finally asked, leaning casually against the trunk of a nearby tree. The way the shadows fell over his face, the glitter of his eyes was alarming for a moment.

“I was going to ask you that,” the girl replied, holding her breath until the sensation of unease passed.

She had learned that was the best thing to do during the moments where she found herself quite tentative of the Dreigiau and these times were becoming more frequent as the taint on the land below had grown. As if being so close to the essence of Chaos was also affecting Zemi in unknown ways. Usually, it was a fleeting thing that others rarely seemed to catch.

Zemi drew in a deep breath and frowned. She could tell by the curve of his mouth that he was weighing his options carefully. Whether he would tell her the truth or tell her what would make her more comfortable to hear.

A tiny pang crisscrossed over the surface of the air between them. It was nearly imperceptible. But AsaHi caught it. With a blink of her green eyes she could name it.

Guilt?

The girl’s chin lifted, peering up at the Arweinydd. It was one of the few times that she had sensed that emotion from him.

“Zemi…” AsaHi spoke softly, “What did you do?”

He gave a long, compliant sigh and murmured a string of words under his breath.

“I can’t hear you?”

“I said…” the Dreigiau repeated, raising his voice. “I’m not sure if you’ll understand.”

“I might not,” the girl replied walking a few steps closer before leaning down to pick up a small stone. With a flick of her wrist, she skipped it over the pool. “But, something’s bothering you, Zemi. You know you can’t hide it from me.”

He sighed again, standing silent and watching the final ripples vanish from the surface of the pool. Finally, when he spoke, she found herself not expecting the direction he was going in, “It’s about Lucci.”

“Okay…” AsaHi covered her surprise with a slow sound.

“You know how Zento’s been pressuring me to tell him when Zazo and TsuYa will bring Lucci home?” Zemi asked. The big lead up.

“Yes. I know. Why?”

“Well… the truth is… they’ve been out there so long because…” the Dreigiau shook his head. “This is going to sound crazy to you.”

“Zemi…” she chided.

“Because I’ve been helping Lucci run away from them,” Zemi finished, biting off the words quickly. His teal eyes rested on AsaHi’s face, watching for her reaction.

It was one of absolute astonishment.

“You’ve been doing what!?” She ran a hundred of things back and forth through her mind, trying to figure out why. But in the end, the Arweinydd’s reasoning left her dumbfounded. The girl stopped her initial outburst, gathered her thoughts and began to pick her words carefully, “I don’t think I understand. Why would you do something like that, Zemi?”

“Because he may be the only one of us that can end this war,” the Dreigiau replied with a somber look.

“You’re talking about those items from the Time Before, aren’t you, Zemi? The things Aur told us about?” AsaHi asked. Then she turned her head, thinking back for a moment. “Lucci knows about them, too. Doesn’t he?”

“Yes. How did you know?” it was Zemi’s turn to be surprised.

Not wanting to explain everything she had seen on the day of the last meeting, the girl shook her head, “Just a good guess?”

“You’re right,” the Dreigiau nodded. “Lucci does know about the items… but more importantly, seems to know where to go to find them.”

“So that’s why he ran away..?” AsaHi pursed her lips.

“Yes. I believe so. He’s looking for a way to defeat Zeromus, too. And I don’t think we should stop him, AsaHi,” Zemi peered at her with a meaningful intensity.

She shook her head, “Zemi… don’t you think it’s dangerous to let him go out there all by himself to the surface? The place is swarming with Zeromus’ Marked and who knows what else! He may be this Sygnus-in-the-making you’re so worried about. But first and foremost, he’s still just a boy!”

The Arweinydd drooped a little. “You sound like Zento. I thought you had more faith in Lucci than that.”

“Of course I have faith in Lucci!” she protested. “But there’s a lot of things that could go wrong!”

Zemi lifted up his hands, motioning for her to let him speak. “I know. That’s why I sent capable guardians with him.”

“You mean TsuYa and Zazo?”

“Yes. Aur and JouKa have joined them as well,” he told her.

“But I thought you sent them out there to bring Lucci back?” AsaHi tilted her head with a frown.

“Well… that’s where things start to get a little sticky,” Zemi gave a sheepish look.

“Sticky?” she sucked in a breath between her teeth with a long disapproving face. “Zemiiiii… what did you do?”

“I…” the Dreigiau looked the other way, “I sent them out with the idea that they were going to bring Lucci back to the Islands. But I had always intended for them to help him instead. I just knew that if I said that from the outset, Zento would pitch a fit… and TsuYa may not have agreed to going. So… I let them think they were chasing Lucci… while I helped him to stay ahead of them, no matter how fast they followed. Well, until they got to the place where I wanted them all to meet up.”

“Where was that?”

“It’s called the Cynosure and was rumored to have been built in the Time Before,” Zemi explained. “Basically, it’s a place where many rifts come together… that will allow you to travel all over the world almost instantaneously.”

AsaHi’s mouth opened at the thought of such a thing. “But, why would they need to go to the Cynosure?”

“Because, the place that Lucci needs to go is outside the Inner Realms. Any other means of travel, even Dragon, wouldn’t take him there as quickly as he’d need.”

“Ah…?”

“So right now, they have all traveled beyond the reach of the Inner Realms. Beyond my reach of influence,” Zemi told her somberly.

“Do they know that they’re supposed to be helping Lucci now?”

“Yes. Now they know… and chose to go of their own will. I made sure to send a good group with him. He should be safe enough,” the Dreigiau arched an eyebrow, studying her reaction to the whole story. And hoping to find some hint of approval.

AsaHi could only sigh and run her fingers through her hair. What was done was done. Maybe Zemi was far more knowledgeable than she was on these matters. But that didn’t change the fact that he had manipulated the situation and led people to believe one thing while doing another.

“You don’t approve,” Zemi looked disappointed.

“I don’t know how I feel,” AsaHi told him truthfully. Part of her wanted to lecture the Dreigiau. To tell him how he had once again manipulated people without their knowing. And how terribly wrong it was.

But the other part of her knew, just by seeing him. By being there and sensing what she sensed… that these things Zemi already knew. And he knew well enough to feel guilt. To be ashamed of his actions. He seemed to be suffering internally already, without her adding to it.

Despite that all… he had chosen to tell her the truth. And she knew that even for the Dreigiau, that took a lot of guts.

For a while, he watched the circling of fish reflect under the surface of the water. Then the Arweinydd shook his head, admitting through bared fangs, “I don’t want to send Lucci, or anyone, out there into this situation. But until I can find a better answer, all that I have left is to watch my brother destroy everything that I care about. One by one. Until it’s all gone. He’s already taken Nefol. Then the Inner Realms. He’s not going to stop with this, AsaHi.”

She turned to watch him with a pained expression. This time AsaHi did approach and throw her arms around him – yearning to squeeze away the pain she could sense locked in the depths of his words.

He’s always hurting so much… Trying so hard. But always hurting. I wish I could fix something… anything… and make it better again.

Zemi placed a large hand on the top of her head. A soft smile had replaced his scowl.

I wish I could take him back to the days when he was so free…

“AsaHi…” his gravely voice sounded in her ears. “You do. Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything more. And neither did she. Just an embrace and the longing for peace… in the land. In the mind. And in the heart.

JouKa paused, her back pressed against the dark side of the tree.

There isna much time…

JouKa strapped her well-worn kukri along her hip, making sure that the buckle was fastened tight. Before the last battle on the Islands, few seemed to have any faith in the strangely shaped weapon, laughing at it if it had been nothing more than a big knife. But she had showed them.

In fact, she had fought so well that she had gained recognition by the troop leaders. Despite the fact that she was seen as nothing more than a renegade civilian at first, her skills in both fighting and healing had earned her a permanent place in the fighting forces of Ceiswyr.

No one laughed at her kukri anymore.

Though TsuYa doesn’t pay any more attention to them than ‘e ever did. But what more do ya want from ‘im I spose.

She threw her pack over one side of her shoulder, working to balance it around her delicate axillaries. Wings made it so much harder to carry things. And they didn’t help much for flying when you were weighted down with a pack, either. So, overall, she rated having wings a 5 out of 10. About half the time they were far more of a pain than they were worth.

JouKa crept out of her room with a shifty look around. The hallway outside was an absolute mess with people rushing up and down the place in a frantic air. Everyone was so busy in their search for the Sygnus boy that no one noticed the one small winged figure creeping her way out the door.

Which is just as well. I don’t wanna be tryin’ to explain this to no one.

Afterall… how could she? And even if she tried, would there be anyone who could fully understand? She could hardly explain it to herself. She just knew that sitting there on the Islands was not giving her any answers or moving her any closer to resolving the weight that dragged at her heart. There were just so many reasons that were driving her on towards the Ground Portal of Ceiswyr.

Not that she was one-hundred percent certain about taking on the Mainland by herself. She had purposely shoved that thought out of her head. Which was the reason why she needed to act now and act fast.

Hitchin’ a ride with TsuYa on ‘is mission is the only chance I’ll get…

She couldn’t help but think it was strange that everyone was had been instructed to search for the boy Sygnus there on the Island. It was probably a good idea to double check, of course. But it seemed from what TsuYa had said that they were all pretty sure that LuShi had taken the rift down to the Mainland.

I wonder what Zemi is doin’… making all tha troops look around up ‘ere like this. If I didn’t know better, it almost feels like a diversion of some sort.

JouKa passed through the last arching doorways of the Compound out into the night air. Here and there she could see the shapes of Dragons swooping over the Island, also searching.

But why would ‘e be doin’ something that would ‘elp the Sygnus boy escape? Especially after Zemi sent a real search party out to find ‘im?

Not long after they had discovered that LuShi was missing, Zemi had put together a small search party to scout out the Mainland — the place that they were all pretty sure the boy had gone. KaiShi was to do what she could from the skies. Which was normal enough. But the duo that was chosen to scout the ground paths was a little more surprising.

TsuYa had insisted on making it his personal business to find the boy Sygnus. Even though it about gave ZenToYa a heart attack to see his son go down to the Mainland for such a task, the warrior would not be swayed. JouKa didn’t know if TsuYa simply felt responsible for the boy’s disappearance because it happened on his watch. Or if he felt responsible because he had spent a lot of time and effort in teaching the boy over the past weeks.

Probably jus wants ta prove something to someone. Nothing ever changes.

It made some sense for a few reasons. TsuYa did know the Mainland quite well from all the time he spent growing up in Nefol, and more recently, working on leading refugees to the Island. He was also rumored to be the best when it came to slaying the Marked. Word in the Compound said that during the last attack, he had held off three of the creatures at once while completely unarmed. JouKa didn’t know how true the rumor was… and TsuYa wouldn’t answer for it when she asked. But there was little doubt his fighting abilities were starting to be compared to his father’s… with favorable outcomes.

The second member of the search party was none other than Zemi’s own sister, the She Wolf Zazo. While JouKa could only muse why an Arweinydd would dirty her fur doing such a mundane job, it was thought that Zazo would very likely be able to sense and track down the boy Sygnus, no matter where he attempted to hide.

But that makes me wonder, too. ‘Ow ‘ard do they really think it’s gonna be to find ‘im and bring ‘im back ‘ere?

She could only shake her head. Things just weren’t meshing together. And most of them pointed at reasonings that only the Dreigiau could come up with.

Not like my own reasons make much more sense…

No doubt, if she did manage to catch up to TsuYa, he was going to throw a major fit all over her for butting in where she didn’t belong. But something in her saw this as the only chance she was going to get to go to the Mainland between battles.

Not to mention, it might be my only chance to see ‘im, too…

KoGuRai.

It had hardly been kept a secret that KoGuRai had been in the last battle against the Islands and was now the Champion of Zerom. She had not personally seen him, but TsuYa’s accounts of the fight were blunt enough. Something inside of her reeled at the thought… that in the time she had been missing KoGuRai could have changed so much.

But maybe if I see ‘im again, I can put things right. I know he’s not always been the way that people are describing!

JouKa paused, her back pressed against the dark side of the tree. Peeking around the wide trunk, she could make out figures standing around the rift to the Mainland. It looked to be guarded. Pulling back to the safe shadows of the tree she hissed a curse under her breath.

Great. What do I do now?

The way she saw it, she had three options. Talk. Rush them. Talk first and if that didn’t work, then rush them. None of them gave her much in the way of hope to succeed.

I can’t be stopped ‘ere.

Pursing her lips sharply, JouKa decided to see what she could do with talking. Not that she was really any good at it. And her thick accent seemed to make her stand out or be considered somehow inferior to those who weren’t familiar with it.

With her head lifted, wings tilted back, hands firm at her sides, she walked out towards the rift. There were three other Cyngan leaning against the tall stone pillars that served as a sort of doorway to the area with the rift. They gave her curious glances as she walked up to them.

“Excuse me. You can’t go in there,” one said with a firm look.

“And why not?” JouKa asked, lifting her chin belligerently.

“We’ve got a runaway. We’re under Lord Zemi’s orders.”

“Under Lord Zemi’s orders to do what?” she gave them a sharp look.

“Watch the rift,” came the frowned reply.

“So Lord Zemi ordered you specifically to stop people from usin’ this rift? Do I look like a run-away boy Sygnus to you?” she put one hand on her hip.

One of the other Cyngan caught sight of her pack and gave her a suspicious look. “Where are you planning on going? The Mainland is too dangerous just to let people wander down there without clearance.”

JouKa grit her teeth, fist tightening on the strap of her pack. It looked like she was going to have to fall back on the second part of her plan.

Too bad. I didna want to ‘ave to ‘urt them.

“I’m going to have to ask you to return to the Compound,” the first Cyngan frowned.

“And what if I refuse?” her eyes began to glitter with a dangerous light.

The three Cyngan stared up. Then with a startled look, they took a step back. Some took more than one step. They were all wide eyed and silent with surprise.

Boys. You put the pressure on. They crack every time.

JouKa could only give a satisfied smirk.

Until a large hand dropped on her shoulder from behind.

The girl turned with a startled sound, coming face to face with what she realized the troops were really backing away from. He was extremely tall. Strange manelike sandy-brown hair. Eyes that were so deep, yet reflected like burnished gold.

She recognized him as one of the important people that often took part in the Assemblies of the Trine. Somewhere she had heard that he was a leader or representative of the Spiral nation. But she didn’t know anything else about him. Not even his name.

His eyes were upon her, peering down without so much a ripple of emotion. There was a chilling feeling as she stood, captured within his gaze. The feeling that he could see everything about her in that one glance. That he knew every truth about her. Even the reason why she was trying to leave the Island.

“Lord Aur…?” one of the Cyngan stammered, bowing low. Obviously, they knew his name.

Great. I’m not just busted. I’m super busted. Can my night get any worse?

His hand tightened a bit on her shoulder, the golden gaze slipping past her to fall on the others. They recoiled all the more. Then a voice, deep and rich sounded in her ears, “I ask that you do not hinder our passage to the Mainland. It is by the orders of Lord Zemi that the rift must be opened.”

They just peered at him for a moment, mouths hanging slightly ajar.

JouKa tried not to look as dumbfounded as she really was.

Aur arched a slow eyebrow, watching the inactivity before him with a mute sense of amused patience. “Were my words to you unclear?”

“N-no, Lord Aur,” the second Cyngan began to scurry, motioning them both towards the rifting area. “Please. By all means”

JouKa felt a pressure on her shoulder gently prodding her forward. Her steps were stiff and somewhat shaky, thoughts racing through her mind.

Who exactly is this guy? Why is ‘e ‘elpin’ me out? And why is Zemi orderin’ someone else to go down there anyway… when ‘e’s already sent out one search party? This is making less and less sense.

She didn’t stop walking. Nor did she dare to turn around. Something about the golden eyes frightened her. She didn’t like it when it seemed as if all her deepest secrets were laid out on the table for someone to see. Especially not a stranger.

But she still didn’t stop walking, despite that. Despite the fact that she didn’t exactly know if she could trust the tall brown haired man. Despite the fact she didn’t understand the meaning behind anything that was going on.

I’m gettin’ caught up in somethin’ I shouldn’t, I figure.

JouKa closed her eyes as the light of the rift flowed up around her form. No matter how many times she used those things, she could never quite get used to the feeling of sudden displacement. Then it was over. Still, she didn’t know that she wanted to open her eyes. She had a good idea what she’d see – her homelands shattered under the darkness of Chaos.
And the stranger.

When she finally gathered up her courage to open her eyes, it came at her, exactly as she had thought it would. A wasted and sickly landscape where there had once been summer’s green mantle. A dark, unnatural storm boiling in the sky above, violet lightning cracking across the heavens sharply. A still and decayed feeling, as if anything that had once been alive on the ground had been destroyed or changed into something as dark as the land itself.

JouKa put a hand to her mouth. She had not expected it to be so difficult to bear.

The stranger was there, though she had forgotten about him. He stood near to her side, watching her reaction with a flat, grim face. It was as if nothing that he saw resulted in emotion from him. Not even sympathy for her suffering.

“We must move,” Aur told her finally. “The longer we wait, the further ahead they will get.”

JouKa turned towards him, giving him an uncertain expression. “Look… I don’t know who you are. Or why you ‘elped me. But thanks. I can be takin’ care of myself from ‘ere.”

“Ah,” he replied simply. But something in the way he said it spoke that he didn’t think so.

“What’s that ‘posed ta mean?” she craned her head up at him.

“Ah means simply ah,” he informed her. Then he began to walk towards the looming darkness. “Now… let us make haste.”

“Um, excuse me? I don’t think you ‘eard a word I said?” she stamped one foot insistently.

Aur paused and turned around. One look of his deep, hooded eyes made her shiver. “Yes. I heard what you said. But it makes no sense at all.”

“In what way?” JouKa was practically biting her tongue to hold her temper.

“TsuYa will be traveling upon the back of the Arweinydd, Zazo. Even if you flew non-stop at full speed, you would not be able to catch up with them,” he stated logically.

Something choked in the back of her throat. She found she had nothing to argue against that with. She could only stare at him with a complete and utter loss for words. Not something that happened often.

“Now. I have a travel form that may match her speed. If you desire to catch them, I suggest that we make haste,” Aur was watching her with an unreadable face.

When she realized there was nothing else left for her to do, JouKa nodded.

Have you ever been on a journey before?

-Stopstopstop!- the voice echoed in Lucci’s mind.

On cue, the youth jerked to a stop and pressed his back against the smooth white wall of the outer Compound. Around the corner, he felt the presence of something living passing by. One of the normal winged people, he was sure. And even though it probably wouldn’t be a huge mess if someone were to see him sneaking away — for it didn’t seem that anyone had been alerted to his departure — Lucci still didn’t want to take that chance just yet.

-That’s it. The less that see you, the less can talk about what they’ve seen,- a second voice agreed.

-Okay. They’re gone now,- spoke the first voice.

It didn’t take Lucci much time to realize that the voices without people were really good at scouting the situation out for him. Of course, it’s not like he had ever had much of a reason to need someone to scout. Nor had he really had much desire to interact with the voices.

But the Thing he was about to undertake was large. Far larger than he felt to be. So, all help that he could get, from any source, was appreciated. Even from the strange eyes that watched him in the mists.

The youth crouched low and began picking his way across the open ground, through the extending shadows. Soon, night would come. And though it would have probably made more sense to wait until he had the cover of night to make his escape, Lucci didn’t want to waste any time.

I’m not sure how I ended up here. But… I made a promise to Suzume.

It had been Suzume that had brought him back to his senses. It was because of Suzume that he had forced himself to find strength and leave his bed. He had heard that there was some sort of meeting taking place in the hall, so with new found determination, Lucci had gone there with the intention of showing everyone that he was awake and ready to do whatever needed to be done.

I have to keep trying.

As he had approached the doors to the meeting room, he had stopped to listen to the conversation already in progress. There was talk of items of power and even weapons that could be used to defeat Zeromus. Their enemy. Items that were made to be used by a Sygnus.

That’s what they say I am… but they always seem to think it’s something bad. So maybe if I can find one of the items to defeat Zeromus and bring it back to help… they’ll like me then.

They also spoke of how unstable he had become since the battle. But, Lucci didn’t remember much about what happened after Lord Zemi had rescued him from the mists. He had spent most of the time in a drowsing world, halfway between dreams and waking. Though, for him, whether he was awake or asleep, the world now looked the same.

It’s so hard. I can’t tell… what’s real anymore.

Ever since he had regained awareness, it appeared as if there was an image of a world overlapped upon the world he once knew — but this image was a far darker and more scary world than the waking one was. Everything took on a silvery glow, ghostly wavers of past and present overlaid and woven together. He often found that an object in the distance that seemed to be quite solid was merely an illusion as he made his way towards it. Or a voice of someone he thought was real was one of the disembodied watchers from the mists.

It all blends together… and They are always there, too.

They. It was the name he had given to the voices without people. He had heard Lord Zemi talking once, when everyone thought that he was asleep. He had said something about the spirit realm and about how the spirits of those who had passed were being drawn to him. He had even said something about spirit essence becoming trapped and bound within Lucci’s own essence upon death.

But the youth didn’t know what any of that meant. Other than it had to do with the silver mists that always seemed to gather around him now.  And more often than not, it made him afraid.

-It will be alright, Lucci-boy,- spoke the first voice, right next to his ear. As if it knew of the youth’s fears and troubles. As if it actually cared.

It was so hard for him to tell what They wanted from him. Some of them spoke only of their own woes and laments from their past lives. Some of them seemed angry and bitter, looking to urge Lucci to strike out at the things that hurt them in the world. Some of them seemed caring… though it was hard to know if They really cared about Lucci or if They simply wanted to seem nice to earn his trust for their own reasons.

The emotions of living people are confusing enough.

And there were so many of Them. Always talking, yearning, feeling… until his head was about ready to explode from the conflicting voices.

-You just gotta learn how to filter out the junk. It’ll come with time and practice,- the voice advised. –Right now, though, you need to concentrate on where you’re going.-

-Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!- wailed another voice. –Who’s gone and made YOU the boss of him?!-

-Don’t listen to him, kid…- a third voice chimed in from the other side. –He just wants a cut of the profits. I can tell you how to make it big. Just like I did.-

-Pudding!-

Lucci pressed his palms over his ears, hunching down in the shadows of the nearest tree. His eyes squinted shut, face contorting.

Stop… please. Just no more!

For a moment silence fell within the mists. He could hear the frantic sound of his breathing. Feel the fading light of the twilight passing over the world from behind closed eyes. It took him a moment to find calm again.

I don’t know why I should trust any of you…

-Because we know where to find the things that you seek,- purred one of Them with a tone that made the hairs on his arm stand up. –That’s what you really want isn’t it?-

-Powerful… Master…- another voice chimed in from somewhere above his head.

No, not power… I just want to make Zeromus go away. I want our home to be safe.

-But you could have so much more… why waste the opportunity that you have..?-

Lucci shook his head mutely. He didn’t like the way these voices spoke.

-Get off of it and leave him alone.- the first voice returned, sounding annoyed. –If he can’t find away off the Island to begin with, it’s not much of a chance that he’s going anywhere at all.-

Silence fell over the mists again. At least there was one voice there that seemed to be making some sense rather than just bickering without reason. Lucci was hesitant, but he directed his attention to that voice, and that voice alone.

What do I do?

-Who… me?-

Yes… Help me? What do I do? Where do I start with this?

Lucci’s silver eyes watched the trails of the mist as they reached up towards the darkening sky. Maybe asking for help wasn’t a good idea… but he didn’t really know the first thing about running away.

-Well, first… you need to make sure you got supplies.-

Supplies?

-Extra clothes. Food for the trip… you can’t expect that there’s going to be food to find once you go to the Mainland.-

The youth frowned slowly as something occurred to him.

Is the trip going to be that long?

-I’m afraid so. Which means you’re going to have to be ready for it.-

Lucci swallowed and nodded. This was going to be even harder than he had originally thought. He knew nothing about the lands below… what they looked like… what lived there. How to journey. And all of it seemed quite frightening to him.

-Don’t worry… I’ll help you. Let’s start by heading to the kitchens and filling yourself up with food for the trip. It’s probably best to do it right now before they start to realize you’re gone,- the voice told him.

The youth didn’t argue — it seemed sound enough advice to him. Instead, he began to creep through the treeline around the outside of the Compound. The kitchens were far down on the other side of the building. But luckily, there were enough shadows between here and there for him to make his way undetected.

-We also need to make sure you have clothing… and a weapon. A map would be good if you could get one, too.-

Have you ever been on a journey before?

-Sure. Lots of them. Why?-

Because you sound like you know what to do.

The voice fell silent for a while, leaving Lucci to creep his way towards the yellow glow of light that streamed through the kitchen windows. Most of them had been shattered during the last battle and were covered over with long drapes of tattered cloth. But the ones that could be repaired had been fixed.

Lucci poked his head just above the rim of one window, and seeing the room unattended, slipped in. At the voice’s instruction, he gathered up the cloth off of one of the tables to make a sack and began to shove foods into it.

Isn’t this like stealing?

-Consider it a loan in good faith.-

The youth dumped a whole bag of fruits into his sack with a puzzled look.

What do you mean?

-You’ll pay them back later, yes? Just write out an IOU.-

A what?

There was a soft feeling of a chuckle from the mists. It was the first time that Lucci had heard kindly laughter. And for some reason, it put him at ease. The voice then began to instruct him on the art of writing an IOU. After that, the voice walked him through the steps of creating the perfect Dear Zemi letter… the proper packing of extra clothing… and obtaining a weapon for the journey ahead.

Lucci began to feel a whole lot better as he crept out of the door one final time. In fact, if he ignored the wafting silver mists, the whole thing was beginning to feel a lot like a great adventure.

Just like the stories Suzume used to read to me.

-That’s the spirit, Lucci-boy! Keep your eye on the ball, now!-

What ball?

-Uh… I mean… Well, forget it. Let’s just get to the rift.-

The youth nodded, his strides becoming more sure as he made his way towards the pattern of runes on the far Island. The rift down to the Mainland. Lucci had never visited there before. And with his new found curiosity and excitement, the youth could only imagine the sorts of adventure that he would find there.

Just as he made a step towards the island, he paused. Thoughts came to him — that he would miss people and his home. Even though he had left them a letter to say that he would be okay, maybe they would be sad. He turned around, casting one quiet look at the lights of the Compound.

Lord Zemi… Morh-AsaHi.

He could see the dim lights of the kitchens in the distance, the place where he had spent so much time with  Morh-AsaHi and Aunt Sara making foods. And eating fudge.

Master SoYa. Master TsuYa. …Master ZenToYa…

There was the training grounds where Master TsuYa would teach him sword fighting. And the now darkened tree where he and Suzume used to sit and play. That time seemed so far away now.

-Don’t worry about them, kid. Remember you’re doing this for their sake, yes?-

Lucci nodded and gave a boyish wave towards the soft glow in the distance, “Good-bye…”

-Now now now…- the voice murmured quietly in his ear. –There’s no such thing as “good-bye.” There are only “see you laters.”-

A quiet smile curved Lucci’s lips at the thought. Yes. That was right. He would come back. “Well, then… see you later, Ceiswyr! I’ll be back soon!”

Then he turned and walked towards the waiting blue light that had begun to spread across the ground, activated by his presence. The Mainland… and new things… waited for him below.

"There were things... in the Time Before... that were used to subdue the Arweinydd."

“We are losing time. Losing ground – Zemi we need to make a strike against Zeromus soon,” ZenToYa demanded, pressing his palms down hard along the dull surface of the meeting table. “The more time we give him to lick his wounds, the more time he has to redouble the effort next time.”

“I understand that, Zento,” Zemi nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. “But there’s still a lot of information that we don’t have yet. Scouting Nefol and the groundlands is difficult, even for the Dragons. You know that.”

“Yes… I do know that. And I’m not supporting a foolish rush into the situation,” the winged man gave a long frown at the Dreigiau.

“Then what are you supporting?”

“I… don’t have all the details yet. I just know that the longer we sit here playing games of defense, the less ground we are winning against the enemy,” he spread his hands as if making the most logical statement in the world. “Even Kudako agrees with me on this. We’ve sat idle for too long.”

The golden-eyed Dragon gave a low grunt under his breath. The only indication that he admitted to having anything to do with Zento’s brash outburst.

He’s really been upset about things lately…

AsaHi’s green eyes watched the heated discussion as it lit up the far side of the room. The room and the large table within showed for lack of use, everything dimmer and less magical than it had been before the attack on the Islands. Only minor damage had been done to this area of the Compound, but there were still a few dark cracks that spidered over the once smooth-white stone walls. Official Assemblies were not held there anymore — the Trine was no longer fully present with Zeni in Wyndor to watch over those that had Migrated. But there were still gatherings of tactical meetings and discussions of where things were going to go next.

There must be something more that he wants… than just wanting to strike in battle against Zeromus. It’s not like Zento to urge fighting when it’s not needed.

Everyone seemed to have a different idea on what the best course of action would be. Some felt that it would be a good time to try and change to an offensive stance. Some felt it was too risky and that defense was the best to fall back on. There were even some that whispered that giving up the Islands completely was the most sane course of action.

It’s true we won the last battle. But we lost a lot, too. I don’t know how many more attacks we can withstand before we will lose or have to give way.

AsaHi didn’t like the idea of giving up any more than anyone else. But there were just times when it was obvious that the battle was too big for them all. Though to think of any battle being too big for Zemi Dreigiau was enough to make her shudder.

Even if we did leave the Islands… where would we go that would be safe? Eventually, Zeromus will expand beyond this as well.

Zemi was leaning back in his large chair, one finger tapping idly at his chin. His sharp teal eyes flickered from the face of one person to another as if studying what sort of resources he had to use. When he finally spoke again, his voice was deep and resounding.

“It seems to me such a waste to keep swatting away the little annoyances that Zeromus keeps sending at us. If you know what I mean?” the Dreigiau rose from his chair and began to pace. “His troops keep wearing away at us, layer by layer. And we wear away at his troops layer by layer. But, as you’ve stated, that doesn’t gain us much ground… and he will just keep replenishing his troops from the creatures that he twists to his use.”

“We, on the other hand have limited number of troops,” Aur murmured nodding slowly. “Even though I’m sure we could find some reinforcements within the people of the Spiral, chances are, they would never make it here to the Islands without Dragon transport. The lands below have become too wild to travel safely. Marked and all sorts of Chaos creatures roam and destroy.”

“Yes, I know,” Zemi strode over to one of the large, arched windows and pushed aside the curtain. “That is why it would make most sense to strike at the heart of the disturbance.”

“Take out Zeromus himself?” Zento asked for clarification. The way he was leaning forward in his seat spoke of interest and strong desire.

“I agree. We will not make ground unless we cut things off at the source,” Kudako gave a curt nod, eyes focused sharply on the back of the Dreigiau.

AsaHi remained silent, pondering the impossibility of it all. Afterall, they were discussing killing another Arweinydd – something that none of them knew how to set about doing. Not even Zemi.

Not to mention that Zemi cannot directly attack Zeromus… or he could get caught up in the Chaos, too.

As if Zemi was following her line of thought, he spoke, “The question isn’t if it is the best thing to make a direct strike at Zeromus. The question is how do we plan and accomplish something like that? What can defeat a Chaotic Arweinydd?”

Even Zento fell still as the last echo of the words faded in the chamber. If Zemi didn’t seem to know these answers… then who would?

After a long space of silence, Aur’s unblinking eyes shifted up. He spoke slowly, as if not sure that he wanted to depart such information, “There were things… in the Time Before… that were used to subdue the Arweinydd.”

Something about the statement darkened the room for just a moment. AsaHi could almost see a shiver run over Zemi’s form. And though she couldn’t see his face, she could only imagine his expression at such a thought.

There’s so little that we know about the Arweinydd. About the Time Before. And about how all of these things fit together.

In their world, the Arweinydd had become great Patron Guides to the people. Because they were creatures distant and without true physicality, they had begun to be seen as things that time and even death could not touch.

But that doesn’t mean it’s true. That’s just the way we perceive them.

Zento peered across the table at the brown-haired Guardian with a conflicted grimace. As if part of him wanted to know exactly what force could be used against so great a power. And the other part of him wanted never to know what could be so terrible and vast to overthrow the power he felt was so great.

Aur’s eyes were fixed on Zemi — allowing him the choice of silence or enlightenment.

The Dreigiau turned slowly around, meeting the Guardian’s gaze. Despite the fact that the knowledge could be used against him, too. Despite the fact that it was obviously uncomfortable to discuss something that would be the fate of his own lost brother. Zemi slowly gave a nod.

“There were items of great power that were crafted in the Time Before that were used against the Arweinydd kind. Some of them were items to simply subdue. Some of them were created as weapons that could damage… even kill,” Aur spoke slowly, his voice low. “But these were items held great risk and could only be properly used… by the Sygni.”

AsaHi couldn’t help the little gasp that bubbled up in the back of her throat. The rest of the group were also watching Aur with rapt and troubled expressions.

Strangely enough, it was Kudako who was the first to speak, “Are you suggesting that we obtain one of these weapons, arm the boy-Sygnus, LuShi and set him against Zeromus?”

“I am not suggesting anything,” Aur replied without hesitation. “I am simply giving the information that I know.”

“Mmm…” Kudako looked down at the table top. It was apparent that the information didn’t please him too much. Nor did it seem to please anyone else.

“That’s out of the question,” Zento murmured. “LuShi’s proven to be pretty unstable. He hasn’t even been out of bed in weeks after the battle.”

“Yes, but if we were to find something that he could use against Zeromus…” Zemi murmured from behind folded hands.

“Are you NUTS Zemi? Anything he could use on Zeromus, he could use on you, too!” the winged man’s voice raised an octave.

“ZenToYa,” the Dreigiau frowned sharply. “I know you have very little trust in the boy. But I don’t believe he’d choose to fight against us. Especially since he can see better than he could before how dangerous things are.”

“But…”

“Still…” Zemi interrupted with an upraised finger. “I don’t know that I like the idea of scraping out old artifacts used by Sygni of the past to beat down Arweinydd in the Time Before, either.”

Zento huffed, puffing out his cheeks, “At least you’re talking some sense now.”

“Excuse me?” Aur peered between them with upraised eyebrows.

“At least, not before we’ve had a chance to study them,” the Arweinydd added quickly.

The Champion gave a frustrated sound. “Zemi..!”

“Excuse me…?” the Guardian attempted again.

“Do you, or do you not want to do something about Zeromus?” Zemi gave the winged man a long, piercing look.

“I…” Zento opened his mouth, just shaking his head incredulously.

“I have something to say,” Aur’s voice rumbled, louder than AsaHi had ever heard him speak before. Though it was in no way ear-shattering, it got attention.

Both Zemi and Zento paused in mid-squabble to glance over with puzzled faces.

“You are both arguing over artifacts that you may never even find,” the Guardian spoke shortly, peering at them with a frown. “Though it’s quite possible that the items were left in this world somewhere after the Mistake, no one is really aware of their actual location.”

The winged man gave a long sigh and promptly plopped his head on the table. “Why didn’t you tell us that before we starting arguing?”

“I attempted to,” Aur replied with a very Earthian-type sigh. “You did not allow me to finish. As I said… I was only offering you factual information in response to your question. I did not say that this was information that should be acted on.”

Zemi sighed, too. A long, hoarse sound of displeasure.

Kudako then went on to remark about the conversation in his own, quiet directness. But AsaHi’s attention had been drawn away. For the first time, she realized that one of the doors to the meeting room was cracked open, ever so slightly. But what really made her look was the fact that a strange, silvery mist was seeping into the room from the hallway.

What..?

No one seemed to take a lot of notice of her as she slipped down from her chair, crossing the room towards the door. They were all so caught up in their discussions that not a single eye strayed towards her. Then again, it wasn’t all so odd for them to see AsaHi get up and walk from the meeting room to get drinks or bring in small snack sandwiches and things like that.

The hall was empty as she slipped out of the room to peer around. Though there was a slight trace of lingering mist in the air, it was now so faded that it was nearly imperceptible. AsaHi swallowed and began to walk down the length of the corridor, head weaving back and forth as she looked for any signs of something odd.

I’ve seen that mist before… but…

The thought left her puzzled and somewhat uneasy. With a frown, she passed from the straight hallway into the point where it crossed another. Looking down both ways, she caught sight of a figure to the right who was approaching with quick steps.

The figure also took notice of AsaHi. For the steps increased in pace and one hand raised in greeting. It took a moment for her to recognize the face of JouKa.

“Morh-AsaHi!” the voice called to her.

AsaHi stopped, waiting for the other girl to make her way over. “Hello, Jou? Is everything okay?”

“Actually…” she didn’t try to hide her frown. She simply shook her head. “I was ‘opin’ to catch sight o’ someone. Cuz’ bustin’ in on tha meetin’ isn’t any good ta do.”

“What’s wrong?” AsaHi turned full attention to trying to translate the thick accent. She had heard that JouKa had originated in the eastern mountains. The people in that area had developed some very strange ways to say things.

“TsuYa sent me out to find someone,” JouKa explained. “You know that kid, LuShi?”

“Yes?”

“Well, he’s done up and disappeared!”