Aunt SaRa lay with her hands folded over her chest, surrounded by Cred flowers.

-You can come down from there, now.- Zazo’s voice resounded in her mind. –They’re all gone.-

AsaHi looked up from where she had been curled up in the crook of one of the tall trees. Blinking, she realized that after the terror of the evening had worn off and she had found a safe place to perch, she had promptly fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion. Uncurling her wings, the girl leaned out over the edge of the branch to look down.

The huge white She Wolf was sitting at the base, peering up at her with slitted green eyes.

“The Marked are gone? Are you certain?” AsaHi asked, letting herself down for a slow glide to the ground.

-Yes.- Zazo answered, soundly strangely disappointed. –I have searched everywhere down here.-

The girl landed on her feet lightly, offering a slow frown, “Why?”

-I felt TsuYa.-

AsaHi opened her mouth. “Oh…”

That’s right… Zazo seems to like Tsu…

-I felt TsuYa. I’m sure of it. But when I got here, all I found was his wimpy brother!- Zazo whined.

“Hey!” AsaHi exclaimed, ruffled. “SoYa is not wimpy!”

-That would be your opinion.- And with that, the She Wolf rose to her feet, nose in the air as she pranced into the forest.

AsaHi took that to mean that she would be leading her back towards the entrance of the Stone Lair. So the girl followed quickly, asking, “Is SoYa okay?”

-He doesn’t matter to me,- was the short answer.

“Well, he matters to me!” AsaHi huffed with puffed-out cheeks.

Zazo paused with a canine snuff. –He was fine. I found him stuck up in a tree.-

“In a tree?” AsaHi answered.

-Light knows how the Earthian got up there.-

TsuYa… you put him there, didn’t you? To protect SoYa and keep him out of the reach of the Marked.

The She Wolf paused, glancing over her shoulder with a sharp look. AsaHi had forgotten that Zazo often read thoughts without shame.

-What was that?-

“N-nothing,” the girl shook her head and trotted faster to keep up. She quickly changed the subject, “What about JouKa and Suzume?”

-They are safe. They told me that you would be out here.-

“You said the Marked are gone… does that mean…”

-I think the battle is over for now. But something else seems to be happening. I think we are going to have to leave the Spiral.- Zazo told her.

“What? Why? And go where?” AsaHi’s voice rose in surprise.

-I don’t know the whole story, but I heard that over grown mountain lion saying that he thought the attack on the Spiral was just a diversion,- the Arweinydd answered with a note of impatience.

“You mean Aur?”

-I meant what I said. Overgrown mountain lion.-

“What kind of diversion?” AsaHi pondered.

-You ask way too many questions. I just don’t understand what Zemi sees in you!- Zazo gave a final flip of her tail as the forest thinned out, revealing the opening that would lead back to the surface.

AsaHi’s face was flushed with embarrassment. When she saw SoYa there, she tried to hide it. And hide any thoughts she might have had about her meeting with TsuYa.

Somehow… he wasn’t completely under Zerom’s control. He helped us get away…

But SoYa wasn’t paying attention to her thoughts. He was already rushing, stumbling over rocks and roots to reach her. When he did, he swept her up in his arms, hugging her tightly.

“AsaHi… I’m so glad you’re alright,” he choked. She could see that his eyes were ringed with red…. he had been crying.

“Were you that upset about me?” she teased him gently, touching his cheek.

But he didn’t respond to her chiding in the normal way.

“SoYa..?” AsaHi’s voice grew concerned. “What happened?”

“Aunt SaRa,” he answered, his voice cracking. “She’s dead.”

AsaHi knew that gasping wasn’t the most comforting reaction to have to SoYa’s pain, but she was so stricken with disbelief there was nothing else she could do. It felt as if the world had suddenly stopped spinning… or all the stars had fallen from the sky. Aunt SaRa was timeless in her wisdom, comfort and care. To think that AsaHi would never see the winged woman again left a sharp pang in the center of her chest.

SoYa was fighting back another round of tears. So AsaHi threw her arms around him and hugged him until they both cried.

-Hrmph,- Zazo’s disdainful voice cut into their grief. She shoved her nose between the two of them, pushing them apart. –She’s safer where she is now… than you are. You better get moving before they leave you behind.-

“Behind… why?” AsaHi creaked, wiping her eyes.

-Zemi has given the orders. We’re leaving for Wyndor.- the She Wolf answered curtly. –But if you want to stay here, I don’t really care.-

“Wyndor? But what about our stand here in the Spiral?” she asked.

-More questions. More questions.- Zazo grumbled, padding towards the dark stairway to the surface.

“Urf!” AsaHi responded with a sound of frustration. “Just answer me!”

That’s when the giant white wolf stopped, whipping her head around. With a sharp jab of her nose, she nudged AsaHi back. -Do NOT make demands of me, little Earthian! You may be Zemi’s favorite pet, but you mean nothing to me!-

AsaHi froze with a furrowed brow of heated anger. She rubbed her shoulder where the Arweinydd has shoved, massaging the ache there. As much as she wanted to clash wills, AsaHi chose to remain silent and let the She Wolf have her win. Afterall… SoYa was still hurting. And fighting had no place in the middle of grief.

With a flip of her tail, Zazo vanished into the shadows, heading back to the surface.

SoYa was there. His arms wrapped around her, one hand stroking her hair. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” AsaHi told him. “I’d have taken her but there’s no point in arguing amongst ourselves right now.”

He gave a faded laugh, “Yes… I know you’d have taken her. You’re not even afraid of Arweinydd.”

AsaHi paused, realizing that more or less, it was true. Besides Zerom and his Chaos, she had no fear for the Arweinydd anymore. Not after having been with Zemi and watched him change in so many different ways since their first meeting in the Host Gate.

He’s changed again… here in the Stone Lair. Something’s given him a different sort of power. But I know he will still fight to protect us, no matter how he changes.

She frowned at the shadows of the stairway where the She Wolf had just disappeared.

That’s the difference between Zemi and the other Arweinydd. That’s why our connection with him can make him strong again.

“You’re thinking too hard,” SoYa told her quietly. Trying his best to support her and keep her moving forward, just like he always did. Even when he was the one that was hurting inside.

“Oh… SoYa,” was all she could say. She half wrapped her wings around him as they began to climb the stairs together. “We’re going to make it through this.”

“Yes…” he answered. Then he paused. Though she couldn’t see his face in the darkness, she could hear the sadness in his voice. “It’s just… things will never be the same, will they?”

AsaHi hugged him tighter, leaning into his chest. She couldn’t lie to him. “No… they probably won’t be.”

She could feel his faint nod. His coming to terms. As emotional as SoYa could be sometimes, there was a part of him that was very logical, too. A part that made sense when nothing else seemed to. He would struggle through this, she knew. But he would sort it out in time.

“We have to be there for your Father,” she didn’t know why the thought came to her. She knew that Zento would not be taking this well, especially not after having just lost TsuYa so short a time ago. It was hard to decide what was worse… the death of someone you loved, or knowing that someone you loved was still alive but suffering under the blight of Chaos.

“You’re right,” SoYa sniffed, trying to breathe in deeply through his nose. “Father… he’s going to be a mess.”

They didn’t say anything else the rest of the way, simply walked, leaning shoulder to shoulder up the flight of long stairs. For some reason, this time, it felt longer than AsaHi remembered. And when they arrived at the top of the stairs, the inside of the Lion’s Keep didn’t seem as radiant as it had before.

The first thing that AsaHi heard was the soft sound of music. Voices lifted in quiet song. As they made their way out of the Keep, a heart wrenching vision spread out before them in the square. People and Dragons stood ringed around the open area of the square, just at the foot of the Lion’s Keep. Their heads were bowed, voices somber in parting song.

They had laid the bodies of the fallen on beds of brush and sticks – both Spiral and Nefolians alike. Friends and family gathered around each pyre, torches in hand. Some sprinkled faded flower petals over the fallen. Some laid the most precious possessions beside their loved ones.

AsaHi’s eyes filled with tears once again. There were so many to mourn. The battle in the Spiral had taken so much from them all.

SoYa walked with her, keeping his head down as they made their way off to one side. There was little doubt that the feeling of grief would be overwhelming to an Athrylith, even on top of his own.

Aunt SaRa lay with her hands folded over her chest, surrounded by Cred flowers. To one side, Zento stood unmoving. Like his son, his eyes were fixed upon the ground. Next to him, Kudako and Zemi stood, both holding the torches. Others were there as well – JouKa and Suzume. NaDo, KaiShi and Brunswik. Other Nefolians and Dragons… those that Aunt SaRa had cared for in life.

Where’s Lucci?

Before AsaHi could ponder the thought more, SoYa released her and walked up to the pyre. With trembling hands, he reached out and touched the winged woman’s arm. For a long moment, he stood there, looking down upon her. Then he took a step back to stand next to Zento, having said his goodbye.

There were no words as Kudako and Zemi walked forward, lowering the flaming torches to the wood. The fire leapt up, catching quickly, burning with a strange hint of multi-colored light, reflecting off the bowed heads of the Nefolians and Dragons that paid their respects.

Soon, there was nothing left but flame and smoke. Other streams of smoke rose up into the sky, lifting the sorrow of the Earthians into the heavens. Carrying the songs of the final plight of the mortal soul up to the uncaring starlight.

“Zemi,” Zento’s voice cracked. “Help her. Please!”

The last of the Esgyll fell from the sky under heavy focused fire of Dragon flame. Zemi watched the charred body drop and land somewhere outside of the town’s borders, followed by the victorious swoop and flourish of his Dragons in the night. Having secured the skies, the winged armies of Ceiswyr were able to maneuver out into the battles to their fullest.

Now, we begin to push back.

ShinRe had also arrived on the scene, leading a swelling rank of reinforcements into the fray – the people from the Exile Encampment. The divide that had parted the two groups of Spiral people seemed to be suddenly nonexistent as they fought back to back against the Marked in the streets. In fact, aside from minor differences in armor, it was hard to tell the two groups apart.

~Douse some of these fires! Make it easy for the ground troops to maneuver!~ Zemi commanded to the skies. Instantly, the Dragon forces swerved and broke formation, off to carry out the newest order.

We have to get this battle under OUR control.

The Dreigiau stood in the midst of smoke and ash, dazzling white War Dragon against the shadows of the sky. His teal eyes reflected with a deep inner fire, long tail lashing as he overlooked the battles below. Waiting for his foe to come.

This time, I will not give in to Zerom — no matter what!

Shimmers of light spun low over the rooftops, hinting at the movement of the winged troops. They descended upon the core of battle, scattering the groups of Marked with unexpected sky ambush. Side by side, the Spiral warriors and the Clans of the North began to edge forward, spreading out from the central point of the Lion’s Keep and winning ground.

This time, you will be the one to pay.

The Dragons, too, swept down from the sky and took aim at the fleeing groups of Marked in the streets. They divided the dark horde and destroyed it piece by piece, the death shrikes of Zerom’s minions ringing in the air.

We have learned from our last defeat to you, brother.

Zemi could see it all through the senses of his Dragons. The driving rush of battle. The heat of the flame. The stench of Marked decay. The triumph of the hunt. Tearing them down time and time again.

We have grown strong in our numbers.

The cheers of the living as the Marked were pushed back. The city, stone by stone, was defended. Retaken.

We have everything left to fight for! We refuse to die!

Zemi’s head arched back as he blasted a trumpeting victory roar across the Spiral city. From the streets, his roar was echoed with the voices of men and women – Spiral, Exiles and North Clans alike. Glittering gold and white rushed forward over the shadow like a cleansing ocean tide. Dragon flame rained down upon the border of the city, blasting away at stragglers or any Marked that attempted to escape the massacre within the streets.

“Lord Zemi!” a shout rang from somewhere below. ShinRe strode up the side of the outcropping, pulling his dented helm off of his head. He was dressed in full armor now, splattered with the grime and dirt of battle. Victory shown upon his tired brow as he grinned up, “I see you’ve found your Dragon again.”

The Dreigiau lowered his head with a soft rumble, “Yes, I have. With much thanks to you,”

“None too soon, from the look of it,” ShinRe glanced back over his shoulder. There was a quiet sense of exhilaration – a warrior who had not seen real action for too long of a time. “The Marked put up a good fight.”

“We put up a better one,” Zemi broke into a Dragon grin.

“It would seem so,” the warrior also broke a slight grin. “So where is this leader of theirs? Does he send his creatures ahead while he lingers, shivering in fear behind?”

“That’s a good question,” the Arweinydd replied with a flick of his ears. “I haven’t sensed Zerom anywhere…”

Nor have I seen or sensed Tsu.

“Perhaps he is testing the waters,” ShinRe planted the blade of his sword into the ground with one swift jab. “We have certainly given him something to think about.”

“Yes. I believe that we have,” Zemi answered, shaking out his mane.

As the Dreigiau scanned the horizon one more time, watching the streams of dying smoke rise to the clouds, he sensed a different sort of feeling. The battle had been his concern, up until now, and he had been carried on the wave of victory and desire to turn back their enemies. But something else was there… something quieter and deeper than the cheers of the warriors in the street.

Something terribly sad.

Zemi’s ears perked forward, head turning slowly to look back towards the Lion’s Keep. It took him a moment to sort through the emotion. Then recognition struck him.

Zento?!

With the single thought, a flood of anguish and despair washed through his senses. Something terrible had happened to his Champion. And he had been so caught up in overseeing the battle… that he had not been there.

No! Zento!

Wings spread wide, the Dreigiau took flight over the startled ShinRe, gliding through clouds of smoke towards the Keep. The closer he got, the stronger the feeling was. A pain so rending that it choked his breath and knotted his stomach.

As he rose over the crest of the Keep, he saw a small gathering of people at the foot of the stair. The severed body of one of the Esgyll lay there, draped over the motionless form of one of his own Dragons. A pang of grief filled him at the sight… but his eyes were drawn to where his Champion knelt, in a pool of drying blood.

“Zento!” Zemi called to him, landing in the stone square. Something within him felt fear… fear of knowing what had happened.

Kudako was the first to look at him. The golden eyes were filled with a silent welling of grief. The Dragon said nothing at Zemi’s approach. He simply turned his head.

“Is he hurt?” the Dreigiau asked, trying to make sense of what was happening on the ground.

Before he could think twice, Zemi found his shape shifting… shrinking… condensing back into his person form. As he rushed forward, he could feel his throat tightening at the vision of pure grief that lay in the Spiral square.

“SaRa?” the Dreigiau choked in disbelief.

Zento held her close to his chest, his blood-stained hand stroking her hair over and over again. Broken sobbing shook his body. It was a silent cry now, as if he had already cried so hard that there was no sound left inside of him. When the green eyes lifted to the Arweinydd, the Champion’s expression was one of pure pleading.

“Zemi,” Zento’s voice cracked. “Help her. Please!”

The Dreigiau’s limbs felt heavy as he staggered forward, staring down at the impossible. So much blood – was it hers? SaRa wasn’t moving. She wasn’t even breathing. He couldn’t sense a heartbeat… the flow of spirit or life.

But she can’t be…

Last time Zemi had seen her, SaRa had been alive. She had laughed and teased him, pulling on his hair tie. Then scolded him for not tucking in his shirt underneath his tunic. She told him exactly what she was going to be making for supper and chided him to try out the Earthian act of eating one day.

She can’t be…

Zemi’s knees shook making it difficult for him to keep his balance as he knelt down next to them. His hand reached out to touch her pale face. There was no life left there that he could sense. Nothing left at all.

She can’t be…!

“Help her,” Zento plead again, his face streaked with blood and tears. He leaned forward, shifting SaRa in his arms as if to hand her to the Arweinydd. Zemi stopped him.

“I can’t,” the Arweinydd choked out the words. The hardest words for him to say. Afterall, what was there that the great Zemi Dreigiau couldn’t do?

“Yes… you can!” he argued hotly. He didn’t want to believe it, either.

“Zento. She’s gone.”

Zemi felt something warm and damp on his face. He realized that his eyes were leaking — just the same as the Earthians’ eyes did – in an outward expression of pain.

I should have been here to save her.

The Dreigiau’s thoughts flickered back to all the times that he had spent with SaRa. How he had helped to raise the two lost children in his cave… how they were, in some ways, the only somewhat-children he had. And despite their sibling bickering, the one thing that could not be questioned was their love for each other.

But I was more worried about striking back at Zerom than protecting my own children.

Zento stared mutely up into his Patron’s face, his expression so broken, so grief-filled that Zemi almost couldn’t bear to stay there. But neither could he bear to leave. He felt more helpless at that moment than ever before – there was nothing he could to bring back a spirit that had already moved beyond the living world.

I don’t have that sort of power. I don’t know what I can do to make this better.

“Zento… Please forgive me,” the Dreigiau’s voice was thick with new-found emotion.

Zemi reached his arms around the broken and drooping form of his Champion and simply held the two of them to his chest for a very long time.

Aunt SaRa’s head lifted and the winged woman pushed herself to her feet. Even across the shadow and the distance, JouKa could see her face clearly.

“How have you been holding up, dear?” Aunt SaRa asked, gently stroking her fingers through JouKa’s hair.

“As well as I can,” the girl answered quietly. Though JouKa appreciated the concern from everyone around her, she just didn’t feel like explaining the extent of how she felt. She doubted words could describe the emotion.

To one side, Suzume sat quietly braiding her hair. Somewhere between the time when JouKa had first met the child and now, the girl’s fingers had become far more adept. No longer did she tie her long black locks in knots. Now she could make a proper braid for herself… which made her look quite pretty.

I remember when…

Watching Suzume braid sparked a tinge of sadness. There were days that she had spent, sitting on the flowering hillsides of Ceiswyr with the dark-haired girl and TsuYa for her companions. Back then, she had been short tempered and bold. She had challenged everything that the Neffie TsuYa had to say just for the sake of a fight. She even had the gall to slap him a few times for something as simple as his own sharp words.

What I would do to take it all back…

How foolish it seemed now. Now that he wasn’t there anymore.

And despite the fact that JouKa knew TsuYa killed KoGuRai, she still couldn’t bring herself to hate him. Because something in the way that he had fought that last battle just wasn’t himself. He had been driven to murder. Driven by the same dark power that had transformed and taken him away.

And her grief was for both of them.

“What’s on your mind, dear?” Aunt SaRa interrupted, as if she knew exactly what the girl was thinking about.

“Nothin’…” JouKa turned to peer out the window of her room into the darkening night.

Then much to her surprise, Aunt SaRa totally changed the subject, “So what do you think of this Oren fellow? He seems to be quite taken with you.”

JouKa’s face flushed a little. She shook her head to cover it up. “What do I think? I don’t think nothin’ about ‘im.”

It’s too soon to be thinkin’ anything about anyone.

“That’s a shame. He’s a good looker,” the woman said with a slight smile, gathering up JouKa’s hair again.

“He’s… different,” she admitted, giving in just a little bit. But only because she thought it was fair to humor the woman’s attempts.

“And look… your hair is growing out so nice and pretty,” Aunt SaRa told her. “Have you ever worn it long, JouKa?”

“Long time ago. Before I left my gathering,” the girl said.

I really ‘aven’t worried about bein’ pretty since then…

“Ah… well it looks good on you,” the woman clucked her tongue. “I’m sure Mr. Oren would think so, too.”

JouKa gave an exasperated sound, “Aunt SaRaaaa!”

This only set the winged woman to laughing softly. And in spite of herself and everything else, JouKa couldn’t help but laugh a little, too. Suzume joined them, laughing with a little girl smile, despite the fact that she probably didn’t even understand what the women were laughing about.

They had hardly finished catching their breath when the sound of an alarm rang out through the streets of the Spiral.

“What’s that?” Suzume asked, getting to her feet. The girl rushed to the window with wide, dark eyes trying to make out what was happening in the night shadows.

All the mirth had left Aunt SaRa’s face, replaced by a frown of concern. She quickly reached over and took the dark-haired girl by the wrist. “JouKa. Suzume. I think we need to go to the Lion’s Keep.”

She knows what’s ‘appening, doesn’t she?

“Aunt SaRa, what…” but JouKa’s words were interrupted by the sound of the repeating alarm.

The winged woman gave no answer. She just pulled them both by the hands, “Stay close to me. It could be dangerous. So we have to stay together.”

JouKa didn’t ask anything else. She simply nodded and followed Aunt SaRa out the door.

It was so hard to see what was happening. The night was heavy upon the city, heavier than night had a right to be. Darkness swelled thick in the streets, obscuring form, leaving vision with pure motion. JouKa could hear the sound of the Spiral people rousing to the alarm and rushing about. At first, she thought that they, too, were running for the safety of cover. But then she noticed that commoners – men and women both—had come from their homes carrying weapons of all shapes and sizes.

The people of the Spiral would not run. They were warriors, each of them, to the depths of their souls.

We should stay and ‘elp them!

JouKa wanted to protest. But the moment her feet slowed, Aunt SaRa would grab her by the wrist and keep her moving. There was an intensity in the winged woman’s eyes as she led them towards the rising form of the golden Lion’s Keep.

“Keep moving,” she told them both. “We must see if we can find Zemi and Zento.”

“Where ‘ave they gone?” JouKa shouted, rushing to keep the pace.

Suzume stumbled once, but Aunt SaRa was there instantly, helping the little girl along. She managed to half turn and answer at the same time, “I’m not really sure. I know it has something to do with the Lion’s Keep. So I believe that’s the best place for us to be headed.”

There was no time to agree or disagree. The earth shook as something huge and dark dropped out of the sky, landing heavy in the streets just a block over. The terrible snake-like head of the Esgyll rose up over the tops of the golden-stoned houses in a roar that rocked the city. JouKa stumbled as the stone under her feet jolted her, sending the three of them scattering. Dazed, all JouKa could hear was the muted cry of Suzume and the shouts of people fighting somewhere in the distance.

Slowly, she pushed herself up on her palms, skin raw from the scrape and fall. Aunt SaRa’s voice was above her, hands lifting her up and forcing her to keep moving.

“Come! Come! We can’t stop here!” the winged woman urged.

The roar of the Esgyll echoed in the streets again, as if to accent the words.

Gotta… keep my ‘ead clear. Can’t die ‘ere!

JouKa shook herself out, then helped to gather Suzume. Moving forward. Ever forward. Towards the great golden form of the overlooking Keep. In the sky above, she could make out the winging shadows of more of the terrible winged creatures. Pulses of flame and cold light marred the underside of the clouds – the Dragons had arrived.

Does that mean that Lord Zemi knows what’s goin’ on now? Are we saved?

A new sound echoed in the Spiral streets. Terrible screeching sounds. A sound that JouKa had heard before.

TsuYa!

She stopped to turn, on instinct alone. Dark shadows darted behind them, leaping on the Spiral people who had come out to battle. Wild cries and shouts. Screeches as the Marked moved with inhuman speed, almost unreal to watch.

But TsuYa was not there.

It must mean ‘e’s in the city somewhere, though!

“JouKa!” Aunt SaRa’s voice was strong. “We cannot stop. Not even for TsuYa.”

‘Ow did she know what I was thinkin…?

She had no time to ponder it. The echoes of shrieks and animal snarls were closer now, coming from one side, just in front. Aunt SaRa pulled them quickly around the corner, then up a set of narrow stone stairs that led them up to the second floor of the building.

Fire flickered and shot through the sky, lighting up the battles that raged in the streets below. People of the Spiral fearlessly defending their homelands, golden against the darkness, reflecting the flash of flame and light. The Marked darting and lashing with wicked claws and fangs, moving like elastic as they bounded in small groups off of walls, crates, fences, posts. Moving with a weightless speed of impossibility.

A great explosion shook the earth as a pillar of fire and destruction erupted from the city somewhere behind them. Flaming stone began to rain down on them from above, some catching into smaller fires as they landed in the streets.

“Ow! Owww!” Suzume cried as some of the hot stone scorched through her feathers.

Aunt SaRa drew the girl to her, covering her face and head with her own wings protectively. “Shhh…. Shhh… We can’t let them hear us, love. We’re almost there. Just a little further to go.”

With a fight like this… will the Lion’s Keep be any safer than the streets?

JouKa took the moment to catch her breath, watching as the Marked began to thin out in search of more prey. Motionless forms of the Spiral people lay, dotting the streets. People who had been trained to protect their families… but were not the perfect warriors like the men of the Spiral armies.

They ‘ave no chance against these monsters…

She didn’t know if anyone had a chance.

“Come, come,” Aunt SaRa took her attention away from the streets. “Don’t look at that. We must keep going.”

Despite her words, the winged woman’s voice was taut with fatigue. Still, she led them back down the stairs and into the streets again. All the way, she kept Suzume’s face covered, protecting the girl from the grisly visions that lay splattered around them.

JouKa couldn’t help but look as they passed one of the Spiral men, not too far way. She heard his groan, a contorted sound of pain. And the healer in her couldn’t help but want to stop.

‘E’s still alive!

As she stepped closer, she could sense that something was terribly wrong with him. The gashes across his face and chest had turned a sickly grey color. What appeared to be a cloud of shadow and decay hung over his body, arching up over him, sucking away light and life. His eyes turned toward her as they glazed over in a sheen of darkness, the pleading hand that reached towards her was mangled and claw like.

JouKa jumped back with a gasp. She had seen this before.

‘E’s turning Marked?!

Terrified, her green eyes shot across the bodies that littered the street. All of them were the same. Thick cloud of shadow and decay rising over them. Slight movement and struggle. Convulsions.

No! No! NO!

This time it was her turn to urge them forward. “We’ve got to run! Aunt SaRa! Those people are falling to Zerom’s Mark!”

Suzume gave a muffled cry. Aunt SaRa held the girl closer, eyes sharp. “Don’t stop. It’s not much further.”

That’s when the air around them exploded in a hurricane of flame and terror. JouKa screamed as she was thrown from the sudden impact, landing all the way on the other side of the street. Luckily, she found her wings tangled in the bushes and trees of the Spiral’s Square. Just at the foot of the Lion’s Keep. Not far away, she heard Suzume’s soft cry.

What ‘appened?’

The ground shook again, the square echoing with the sound of huge beasts in battle. Freeing herself, JouKa could see that one of the Dragons had been driven to the ground under the fierce strength of one of the black Esgyll. The black vicelike jaws were clamped hard upon the Dragon’s throat. And though the beast raked with claws and lashed with wings and tail, the roars became suffocated gurgles.

JouKa rushed over to the sound of Suzume’s cries, working to untangle the girl from the brush, “Suzume. We’re almost there! Let’s go!”

The Esgyll lifted its head, trumpeting in terrible triumph as the Dragon’s limp head hit the ground. When the girl turned to look, she realized with horror that a familiar winged figure lay only a few yards from the huge beast.

Aunt SaRa! No!

She was torn. Torn between moving forward and getting Suzume to safety. Or rushing back to help the winged woman.

Her indecision was answered as Aunt SaRa’s head lifted and the winged woman pushed herself to her feet. The sharp green eyes focused on the two of them. Even across the shadow and the distance, JouKa could see her face clearly.

“Go!”

The command was spoken with so much strength that the girl could do nothing but obey. As the Esgyll’s dark gaze fell upon Aunt SaRa, JouKa turned towards the steps of the Lion’s Keep. Her hand gripped Suzume’s smaller hand tightly.

They ran.

There was no sound behind them. Nothing but a brilliant flash of light that lit the golden square, blinding the terrible beast as it lit the way for their frantic flight. It was Aunt SaRa’s light — her final stand of strength, determination, will and pure love.

Then suddenly, the light was gone.

“I won’t come with you. I won’t be your tool,” Lucci snarled. “If you and I are to meet, it will be for me to destroy you!”

Lucci found himself standing over the yawning mouth of the Dragon’s Cleft. He had never been to the Cleft before – only seen the deep squiggly line running in a dark crevice dividing the Inner Realms from the Outterlands on some of Master ZenToYa’s old maps. The maps that Master TsuYa would never let him touch, despite his great interest.

However, he knew that this had to be the Cleft. He had heard too many stories of the great divide that Lord Zemi had created long, long ago to protect the North Clans from the encroaching destroyers that sought to hunt them down to the smallest child.

I wonder what happened to make them fight so terribly.

Lucci’s feet carried him over the soft yellow-green grasses of the Spiral lands. He was on the Outterland side, looking back into the shadows that would have taken him home. Back to Nefol. To the place that he had been born but did not remember seeing. To the place where Zeromus was waiting… and his dark blade would fulfill its final meaning.

Suzume said that my last dream was probably of a place inside of Nefol.

The young Sygnus shivered a bit. Every time he thought of the dark dream, it frightened him. He had had visions within the Mists before. But this dream had felt so real. And the memory of Master TsuYa’s twisted image haunted Lucci with the guilt of the things he had not done to save his once-teacher.

Master TsuYa was gruff… but he went against his father’s wishes to help train me. And as much as he loves Master ZenToYa, that meant a lot. I realize that now.

Lucci still didn’t understand why Master TsuYa chose to do what he did. When so many others denied the young Sygnus training, thinking that he would one day become too dangerous, the dark-eyed warrior had taken up the call.

I’ll probably never know now.

The young Sygnus grimaced to himself.

I can’t think like that. I have to believe that we can bring him back somehow.

One fist balled at his side, he gave a curt nod. Then he began picking his way down the side of a steep hillside. Slipping and sliding, Lucci landed in a patch of speckled flowers. Grass and blooms waved back and forth in the soft breezes, having a luminous and unreal quality. Even the silver mists that usually followed him were dim.

It must be the effect of the Cleft. I heard that it had magical properties… and that’s part of what kept invaders from getting in. I wonder if it will be enough to keep Zerom from passing over.

There was no direct path to the Cleft’s Passage. Not that Lucci expected there would be. It was said that the Passage was the only place where one could cross over the Cleft. But that it would only respond to the powers of one of Lord Zemi’s servants. So only certain people could safely cross over.

Which means, I could be out of luck… unless something unusual happens.

And unusual things did seem to happen around the young Sygnus, whether he liked it or not.

Though I don’t even know if I can identify where the Passage is… even if I did see it. Maybe that’s something only Zemi’s people can do, too.

The young Sygnus sucked on his bottom lip, peering into the depths. The chasm looked like it stretched downwards for eternity.  A sickly colored fog churned within, growing thicker the closer to the center… until everything became obscured with cloud and darkness.

There was no sign of a bridge or any sort of Passage that he could make out.

This isn’t going to work. Is it?

Lucci gave a disgruntled frown, his fingers brushing over the hilt of the long, dark-bladed sword on his back. Feeling it there made him stop… he hadn’t remembered bringing the weapon. In fact… he really hadn’t remembered making the trip that would have carried him there, all the way to the Cleft.

How far did he travel?

How long had it taken?

Did anyone know he was gone?

Does it matter… if I told them what I wanted to do, they would just try to stop me.

The grip of the blade felt good in his hand. Reassuring. The longer that he had possession of it, the more comforting its presence had become… until lately, he found it more and more difficult to leave behind in the corner of his guest room.

I wonder why I was afraid of it to begin with. Nothing bad has come from it.

It seemed like so long ago… the day he had climbed the dark stairs of the obelisk, unknowing what he would find at the top. And now, armed with the sword he found there, he stood on the edge of the Inner Realms, seeking a way to return and overthrow the Chaos that had devoured his homelands.

If I can just find a way across.

His breath misted out in soft clouds, alerting him to how cold it had become as he approached the Cleft. The sound of hissing was sharp in his ears, something he took to be his shivering breathing. It was only when sound shifted that he realized it was not.

-Luuushhhhiii….-

His silver eyes narrowed, prickles running over his skin. He peered out into the rising fog with a frown.

Now I’m just hearing things.

The young Sygnus rubbed his hands together to warm then and continued walking the length of the Cleft. When the sound came again, he realized it was not his imagination.

-Luuuushhhhi… I will find you.-

“What?” Lucci spun around, staring into the gaping darkness again. There was a pressure unfolding within the fog somewhere in the Cleft ahead of him, a feeling he hadn’t sensed before. “Who’s there?”

-I will bring you home.-

“Home? What are you talking about?” his frown grew sharper.

-And all will be as it should have been. You and I. Father and son.-

“No!” Lucci stumbled back with widened eyes. “Forget it! I don’t want to come with you!”

-Such harsh, harsh words, my child.-

“You are no father to me!”

-Oh… but I am. No matter what the Dreigiau wants to tell you. There are some things you cannot change by will alone.-

The young Sygnus’ hand gripped the hilt of his blade, glaring sharply. He could see it now. The darkness was gathering and slowly, slowly consuming the shifting fog. Blotting it out with a shadow darker than the deepest night.

“I won’t come with you. I won’t be your tool,” Lucci snarled. “If you and I are to meet, it will be for me to destroy you!”

-We shall see, child.-

The tone was so condescending. Dripping with so much arrogance. As much as Lucci wanted to fight back the anger, he found the slender dark blade drawn.

You think I can’t do it. You try to convince me that I’m something special. Yet you’re really no different than the people in Ceiswyr. You look down upon me, too.

Tendrils of shadow erupted through the cloud of fog, bursting through with a force that rocked the earth. Lucci fought to keep his balance, but ended up sprawled upon the ground. His silver eyes widened as stream after stream of shadow shot from the center of the Cleft, breaking down the barriers that had existed there for so long. Opening the way for the darkness to come through.

“No!” Lucci’s shout was hoarse in his ears as he scrambled to his feet. Hands numb with cold, he fumbled to lift his blade again. He saw the tip of it shaking with overwhelming fear.

-We shall test your courage soon.-

“We…?”

That’s when he saw it. Shapes seething and shifting in the heart of the shadow. The scent of putrid rot and decay choked the air in his throat. Hisses and snarls, animalistic growls. And one long, terribly familiar shriek.

No! The Marked!

Lucci backed away, throwing one hand over his ears. But he was too horrified to gather his senses enough to run. He knew that even he could not take on all of Zeromus’ dark army… and senses alone told him, that it was nearly the entire army there crossing the Cleft.

But how..? Only one of Zemi’s…

The fog began to part and vision cleared. Lucci nearly fell over himself stumbling back. His eyes locked on the figure at the head of the army, far larger than the rest of the Marked. The black eyes. Grey skin. Dark hair and wings. Wicked, black bladed scythe. The streak of startling white that gleamed almost maliciously now.

Master TsuYa…

And he realized.

Zeromus is using Master TsuYa to unlock the Passage! Maybe because he Awakened before becoming Marked… it still reacts to Master TsuYa’s energies!

The dead, black eyes fell upon the young Sygnus. This time there were no words for him. There was nothing behind the gaze that felt like Master TsuYa at all. The lips curled back, cracking and caked with black blood. Black wings unfolded, sending the last traces of fog scattering away. And the blade lifted, too dark to reflect the dim light.

Lucci screamed, lifting his own dark blade in defense. Just as the scythe sparked off of the flat of his sword, the world jolted around him. Reeling backwards in pain and terror, he was falling.

Then, with a gasp, he sat up. Staring around, Lucci found himself splayed out on the floor next to his bed, his sheets tangled around his arms and legs. As if he had just struggled in a great, imaginary battle.

Lucci wiped the sweat from his face with shaky hands, staring around in disorientation. It took a few minutes before he calmed his breath and realized where he was.

Another dream?

He unwrapped the sheets and tossed them in a wad on the bed. Then he stumbled over to the wash basin and splashed his face with the cooling water.

Or was it? Everything seemed so real. Again.

When he looked outside, the world was just on the fringe of twilight. Gold stone reflected the hues of the overstretching sky. The twinkle of early rising stars shimmered down from above. A random Spiral warrior patrolled the streets, keeping watch over the houses as the light slipped away. All seemed quiet and at peace.

Yet, the unease grew more and more difficult to bear the longer Lucci stood and looked.

It could be possible.

His hands tightened on the window sill.

The Cleft is far enough away that we wouldn’t know it. Not unless there are Spiral guards there.

Lucci’s scowl grew sharper.

But with a full army of Marked… what guard is going to live to make it back to call an alarm?

The young Sygnus turned, hand reaching out for the grip of the dark blade. Then he stopped.

But what if it is just a dream? This hasn’t been the first one… it could be that Zeromus is sending nightmares to scare me. Suzume said a similar thing happened to Master TsuYa.

His fingers hovered over the dark glittering blade in uncertainty.

If I run out to call a false alarm, what will they think of me? That the curse of the Bane is taking control? That I’m losing my mind… like the Sygni do?

Troubled, Lucci shook his head.

And if it is real… if there is an army of Marked coming through the Cleft, led by Master TsuYa. If I know about this attack and I don’t tell… If people die because I don’t call an alarm…

Gritting his teeth, he snatched up the grip of the blade in his hand. It took a moment to strap the wide leather lash over his shoulder and keep it out of the tangle of his long silver hair.

I can’t let that happen. It’s better to call a false alarm than to let people get hurt. No matter what people think of me for it.

Rushing out of his chambers, the young Sygnus began to search the quiet streets. He had heard that Lord Zemi and the others would be going into the Lion’s Keep. He wasn’t sure what it was they were looking for, but it seemed important. As did the fact that a new leader for the Spiral had just been named.

Lucci could still see the remnants of the celebration that had taken place that afternoon in honor of ShinRe. Though the Spiral people weren’t much in the way of party-goers, there were some things that they apparently felt were important enough to commemorate. There had been food and some music and a little dancing. Mostly people gathering in the wide square, congratulating the new Leader.

But with the coming of night, most of the people had taken their celebration home with them. Such was the way of the people of the Spiral.

If everyone’s gone… who can I talk to?

Lucci cast about from house to house, looking for a familiar face. A guide. Anyone who might believe his story and not look down on him for telling it.

As searched, he passed the foot of the stairs at the Lion’s Keep. From somewhere above, he heard a soft, familiar voice. A voice he had grown to trust as a child. And one that he knew would not turn him away.

Aunt Sara!

Quickly, the young Sygnus turned to race up the steps.

“Has anyone ever Promised you?”

The strange lights had finally stopped spinning behind Suzume’s eyes. It was something that came and went. Just like the weakness and long periods of sleeping. The girl gave a soft yawn and stretched her arms above her head, curling her wings about her in the comfort of her bed.

Maybe today I’ll feel better. Maybe things will start to improve.

No one could figure out the cause of the girl’s sudden illness. And Suzume would never breathe a word of the dream-state visit that Zeni had granted her… when, despite the Arweinydd’s warning, she had reached a little too close to Lucci. Something had happened during that encounter. Something that had left her body weak and ill. And now the only hope she had was that Lucci would return to her.

I know he didn’t mean to hurt me. And maybe, if I could see him again, he could help me.

She knew that Lucci had left the Inner Realms, though Lady AsaHi had never said why. Suzume always wanted to believe that maybe he was coming to find her. That he would come to take her away from the Dragon Realms. That she could see her friend again and they could be together, just like it used to be. So, the message that had told her that Lucci was travelling had left her torn between fear for Lucci’s safety and hope that one day, she might see him coming through her doorway.

Not that she could get too far on her own anymore. Not after the sickness had taken her strength away. Suzume had rarely left her room, and only then with support of an adult or a Dragon that was kindly enough to take her outside for a little while.

I hate being stuck here. I hate being sick. I want to know what is happening. I want to know that Lucci is okay!

All she could rely upon were the sporadic letters that came, written in Lady AsaHi’s gentle handwriting. The words were cushioned with hope and support and always a kindly voice. Suzume appreciated that someone took the time out to remember her and to give her what news there was… but the letters never fully answered her burning questions. And often left her with more flights of fancy than she had before.

It had been a long time since she had heard from Zeni, as well. But that was how the Arweinydd tended to be. Sometimes she would be there for a long period of time. And sometimes she would vanish for a while. Suzume always knew that Zeni was very busy, travelling back and forth between Wyndor and Ceiswyr. Still, she looked forward to the visits.

“Good morning, Suzume?”

A voice greeted her through her sleepy haze. But it wasn’t the voice of Zeni. Or of Lucci. Instead, the winged girl looked up into the cheerful, welcomed face of Aunt SaRa.

“Good morning, Aunt Sara!” she replied quickly. It was always nice to see the motherly woman. Something about her always reminded Suzume of home. On the Islands. When she had been strong and healthy and happier.

“I brought you some broth. Do you think you can get some in you?” the winged woman smiled gently, holding up a small tray for her to see.

Suzume nodded up and down. Some days she wasn’t hungry at all. But some days she was. And this happened to be one of them. Quickly, she took the tray and bowl into her lap and with some help from Aunt SaRa, managed to spoon it into her mouth.

As the girl was eating, the winged woman began to tidy the room, only pausing when she reached the side table. Laying there were a number of letters that Suzume had received over the course of the time at Wyndor. The girl never liked to leave them far away. Reading and re-reading them kept her hopes up.

“You have a lot of letters, I see?” Aunt SaRa commented with arched eyebrows.

“They’re from Lucci. Or Lady AsaHi,” the girl replied, pausing in mid-soupslurp.

“That’s nice. Has Lucci been writing to you then?”

“Yes… he did. Before he got sick. And before he left the Islands,” Suzume answered, lowering the spoon. Her face must have looked troubled because the winged woman reached over and gave her shoulder a quiet squeeze.

“You and Lucci are really good friends, aren’t you?”

Suzume nodded, repeating something she had heard grownups say before, “We’ve Promised!”

“Promised?” Aunt SaRa laughed lightly. “Are friendships so serious in young ones now days that they are Promised so soon?”

The winged girl blinked up with a puzzled expression at Aunt Sara’s reaction. Of course, she had heard the term “Promised” before, used between the grownups… but she didn’t completely understand what it meant. She only knew it was something special between a girl and a boy who were usually best friends – like Lady AsaHi and Master SoYa.

Then something occurred to her. “Aunt SaRa?”

“Hmmm?” the winged woman was back to straightening up the room. Not that it needed a lot of straightening.

“Has anyone ever Promised you?”

Aunt SaRa paused, in a funny way that made Suzume all the more curious. Sunlight shifted through the windows, falling around the woman’s winged form and tracing the motion of the curtains as they moved. After a long moment, she shook her head very slowly. “No. I’ve never been Promised.”

“Oh…” the girl furrowed her brow. Then she asked, “Did you want to be ever?”

The response to that was a soft laugh. But it was a forced sort of laugh. The kind that grownups had when thinking of something sad and not wanting to let it show, “Child… child… Suzume-child. Promising is for those who are in love. Deep love. For a very long time. It’s a Promise that says that one day, two people will be Bonded together in that love, until the end of days.”

Suzume’s mouth grew round with awe, pondering the vastness of the idea.

Together until the end of days? That would mean that Lucci would never go away again?

Aunt SaRa shook out the sheets, seeming content in the answer that she had given the girl. Or just reluctant to offer anything more.

But that would mean I’d have to fall in love with Lucci..? And he would have to fall in love with me. I wonder how I could make him do that.

The thought prompted her next question, “Did you ever fall in love?”

If Aunt Sara fell in love… maybe she will tell me how to do it?

“Well, now, aren’t you a bag of twenty questions today?” the winged woman pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. Avoiding the answer.

The girl knew that when grownups avoided answering things, it usually meant they were trying to hide something. Or they were afraid of facing the truth of the answer for themselves. So Suzume tried a different approach, “But, Aunt SaRa… you’re so pretty. Some boy must have liked you?”

I wish I had pretty hair and wings just like Aunt SaRa. Not like the ugly black I have now. Maybe Lucci won’t fall in love with me because I’m not pretty enough…

The woman paused, letting out a half sigh. She folded a stray shirt and put it up on the shelf before speaking again. “Things aren’t always as easy as falling in love and having a nice boy like you back.”

“They’re not?” Suzume’s wings drooped.

“Things sometimes… get in the way,” Aunt SaRa spoke slowly. She looked like she was picking her words carefully, like she didn’t want to say too much. But it was obvious that she had a lot of deep experience with this sort of situation. And no matter how hard she tried to keep the warning tone out of her voice, it lingered there… a gentle concern for the dark haired girl and the choices she had ahead of herself.

But all of these things Suzume overlooked completely in her curiosity. “But if you love a boy and he loves you… why is there a problem? Why would you let other things get in the way?”

It doesn’t make a lot of sense why grownups have to make things so overly complicated.

“Because his first duty is to serving his people and his Patron,” the winged woman answered, turning to peer out of the window. “Ever since I’ve known him, it’s one thing in this world that has given him some sense of purpose. I’m just not sure that, even if he does care for me, I can compete with his nature. He is a warrior… that’s simply who he is.”

He’s a warrior? A warrior… a warrior… who could he be?

Suzume’s mouth opened a bit at the wealth of information – far more than she had ever thought she could get. Her mind spun, trying to piece together everything to learn the identity of Aunt SaRa’s secret crush. But nothing came to her.

I need more information. I wonder who she likes!

After a moment, Suzume tilted her head and asked, “Have you ever told him that you liked him?”

“Well…”

There was a long pause. All the while, the girl watched expectantly. Silently. She had learned that if she sat and looked at someone long enough, usually they would find an answer. Finally, Aunt SaRa seemed to decide on her words and spoke again.

“No, I never have,” she said, smoothing out the front of her dress.

“Why…?”

“Because I didn’t feel it was fair to him to make him choose between me and his duty,” the winged woman replied, slowly turning around. Then she reached down and took the half-empty, forgotten bowl of broth from the girl’s hands and placed it on the tray on the table.

Suzume frowned and itched her nose. Then she said, “What if he’s too shy to tell you how he feels and he’s waiting for you to say it to him first?”

“Shy? Kudak–” Aunt SaRa’s face suddenly paled, realizing she had given herself away.

Kudako?? Was that what she was going to say?

Suzume started to open her mouth, but the winged woman looked in a bit of a fluster. She waved both of her hands at the girl in a kindly but embarrassed way, “Now see here. You shouldn’t be prying where you don’t belong Suzume-child. I have laundry to fold and supper to tend to. You had best behave yourself!”

“Yes, Aunt SaRa,” the girl replied, covering her mouth to hide the smile that crossed her face.

Is Aunt SaRa in love with Master Kudako?

Images of the blue-haired Dragon warrior and the small, demure winged woman danced through her child-mind. Strangely enough, it wasn’t all that hard to make the imaginary Kudako and the imaginary Aunt SaRa reach out and hold hands, much in the way that she and Lucci used to.

With a hitch of her skirts and no further word, the winged woman bustled out of the room. She was so flustered that she forgot to take the tray with her. Once Aunt SaRa was gone, Suzume couldn’t hold in her laughter. Peals of quiet giggles escaped her. And only one thing ran through her head…

Aunt SaRaYa luvs Master KudakoRe!

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

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

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

The collar itches…

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

Suzume nodded, “You look great, Lucci!”

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

I wish I didn’t have to.

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

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

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

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

“But it itches?” he told her.

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

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

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

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

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

Would they stay? Would they flee?

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

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

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

Please don’t look at me…

Lucci’s eyes dropped instantly to the ground.

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

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

At least, that’s what Lord Zemi says.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’ve never seen them get this angry before!

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

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

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

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

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

Master SoYa..?

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

Even to me…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mind powers… it has to be…

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

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

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

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

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

Wow…

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

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

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

Lucci responded with a silent question mark look.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Bane. The Darkstar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At least Lord Zemi likes him…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I knew you’d see it my way!”

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

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

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

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

“Will not!”

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

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

“You’d taste bad,” Suzume added.

“I would not…?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Tonight?” Lucci asked, looking puzzled.

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

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

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

“Yes, it is?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One hand was clamped firmly upon Kudako’s forearm as she led the way into the mouth of the cave.

Date: 394 Passes Ago

It felt like he had been sitting there on the damp floor of the little cave all day. With Zemi talking about the same thing, all day. The same old things they talked about every day. All day. ZenToYa flicked his hand forward, a small glowing orb of light rising up leisurely towards the ceiling of the cave. He watched it pop with disinterest against the dripping upper ridge of stone.

“Aw, come on Zemi!” ZenToYa finally complained with a huffy face. “This is the third season that we’ve been going over the same old thing! Can’t you show me something new?”

“I will show you something new when you can show me that you understand the current concepts,” the Dreigiau’s voice was patient and steadfast.

The shimmery image of the white Dragon loomed just overhead, a spectral illusion that marked Zemi’s presence there within the cave. It was a vision that Zento had become quite familiar with over the long years he had spent in Apprenticeship to the Arweinydd.

It was hard to math-out just how long it had been since he and his sister sought shelter under the protection of the Dreigiau. But over that time, the boy had grown into a youth, now just on the last edge of adolescence. But not quite a man.

Long white hair hung wildly past his shoulders, held out of his face by the aptly tied blue bandanna. His eyes were sharp green-of-blue and burned with emotion, intelligence and ambition. By the standards of others, he would have been considered a tall, well-built and handsome youth. And though his spirit was open and eager, it was also restless with the desires of life and a longing for adventure.

Kudako had been his physical trainer over the many years. His instruction contained a relentless daily regimen of strict self-control and self-less dedication to the art of personal battle. Despite all the time Zento spent honing his skills, Kudako did not acknowledge him as a full-fledged warrior. In fact, Zento had still not been allowed to craft his first real weapon yet — a sign that Kudako said marked a warrior’s coming-of-age.

In the realms of magic, Zemi had been his teacher. The difference between the stoic golden-eyed warrior and the casual, laid-back Dreigiau was like night and day… and then night and day again. There could have been no two creatures on the earth that had more opposite approach when it came to teaching.

But both of them are just as irritatingly SLOW!

“Man, Zemi…” Zento grumbled, head craning back to give the Dragon a better look at his disapproving frown. “You’re cramping my style!”

“And what style is that?” Zemi replied with an annoying calmness.

“You know… MY style!” the youth spread his hands as if the statement explained everything.

“Ah, that style. Of course.”

Zento released another little globe of floating light, this time up towards the Dreigiau’s nose. It rippled, then become absorbed into the luminous Dragon-image as the two energies met.

“Come on Zemi, I’m ready for this,” the boy continued to argue.

“I will be the judge of that, ZenToYa,” the Arweinydd replied.

The youth sighed, running his fingers through his hair with a sulky pout. Then he got to his feet, stretching both arms over his head.

“You’re just as bad as Kudako, you know. He won’t let me have my own weapon. You won’t teach me nothing new,” Zento grumbled. “And all this time you keep telling me that you’re training me to go out and be some great leader of this place you want to create. How am I supposed to do that if you never even give me a chance to get out there?”

There was a moment of silence before the Dreigiau spoke again. His tone was more serious than it usually was, “It is because you are chosen for this leadership that you must learn to be patient. Everything has its own time to shine — even you. And that time has not come yet.”

“Why not?” Zento bickered, beginning to pace back and forth under the Dragon’s nose. “I’ve been training and training and training every day, Zemi. What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m ready to go out there and do this?!”

A low chuckle filled the cave. “You will prove it to me the day that you stop making arguments like this.”

Zento made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

“You will never come to an understanding about this lesson if you cannot keep your mind on the here and now and leave the future to itself. Things take time to happen, Zento,” Zemi explained further.

“Yeah well, at this rate, I’ll be dead and gone before you teach me anything new!” the youth’s hands spread in a display of great, painful drama.

“Zento…” the Dreigiau murmured, good-naturedly.

“It’s true!” Zento lamented. “Unless you’re planning on making me one of your Dragons someday.”

Zemi rolled his eyes with a deep sigh, “We’ve been over this before. The answer is still no.”

“Why not?” his tone grew whiny. He stopped pacing to level his gaze directly at the Dreigiau. “If I’m supposed to be your great Champion, then why don’t I get a cool Dragon form?”

“Because.”

“You let Kudako have one!”

“Kudako is a different story,” Zemi informed him.

“Why not me, then? Man… it would be sooo awesome! I could fly around all day and if anyone got in my way, I’d just step on them!” Zento mimed stomping as he crushed a tiny, invisible annoyance under the flat of his foot.

“Zento…” the Dreigiau groaned.

“I know… I know… flaming them is far cooler,” the youth made claw motions with his hands.

“And you wonder why you aren’t on the list of possible Dragons-to-be?” Zemi arched an eyebrow, lowering his nose and nudging Zento in the shoulder affectionately.

“Maan…” Zento grumbled again. This time, a little less genuine. It was never easy to stay mad at Zemi for very long.

Even if he is SLOW!

Zento lifted one hand, touching the curve of the Dreigiau’s slender nose in a friendly way. Zemi’s strange-yet-familiar energy met his touch, a warm-and-cool tingling filling his whole body with a sense of vitality and wonder.

As much as Zento was apt to complain about things, somewhere deep down, he knew that he was lucky. Overall, he had lived a fairly happy time there… with Kudako and SaRa and Zemi. There weren’t many people out there that could say they had an Arweinydd as a guardian.

But if I’m so happy here… why do I feel like I’m all cramped up?

“It’s natural for an Earthian your age,” Zemi replied. “Or so I have been told. I knew that you would eventually grow to have a wandering heart.”

Zento peered up at the Dreigiau with a slightly regretful face, “That doesn’t mean I want to leave you… or that I don’t appreciate what you’ve given me, Zemi.”

“I know,” the answer was gentle in reply. “And I know it is hard to sit by when others seem to be making the rules for you. But I promise there is a reason for these things. And that one day, you will find yourself out there in the world… and perhaps then, you will look back on these times and miss them.”

“You’re starting to sound like an Old Fossil, Zemi,” Zento laughed chidingly, his eyes shimmering in good-humored mirth. He made a few mock punches at the Dreigiau’s nose, a playful bantering that was met with a few snorts and the flip of the tail.

“Leave it to kids never to take good advice,” Zemi shook out his mane with a playful snap of his jaws.

“Alright… alright… I get what you’re saying,” the youth sighed, resigned for now. “But I still think you should make me a Dragon.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because it would be sooo awesome to fly,” Zento replied with a big grin, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“I thought you have gotten to be pretty good at flying Dragon-back? At least, that’s what Brunswik was telling me.”

“I’m not talking about flying on a Dragon,” he made a motion with his hand, like waves rolling up and down. “I’m talking about flying with my own wings. You know, like the birds do.”

“I see, so you want wings?” Zemi asked.

Zento glanced up with a sheepish look, “Sounds pretty stupid to you, I guess.”

The Dreigiau spread his own wings, displaying them with a slight flutter. “Oh? And why would that sound stupid? I have wings.”

“I guess that’s true,” he nodded slowly. “It was just something silly, though. Something I used to dream about as a kid, you know. I’d watch the birds flying and say to myself that one day I wanted to fly like that. Birds always seemed so free.”

“They do, don’t they?”

“Well, I suppose that riding Dragon-back is about as close to it as I’m ever going to come,” Zento shrugged.

“Don’t be so certain about that,” the Dreigiau replied in a mysterious tone.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Before the Arweinydd had the chance to answer, a call rang out across the cave. Zento turned his head and was greeted by the sight of his sister, SaRa.

She, too, had grown up quite a bit over time, now maturing into a flowering young woman. In every way that Zento was wild, SaRa was refined. Though the two had very little in the way of material items of their own, she somehow always seemed to keep herself neatly.

SaRa’s dress was simple yet attractive in a pastoral sensibility. Her hair was tied back in a flowing set of beaded braids, tucked neatly up under a simple sun-hat. One hand was clamped firmly upon Kudako’s forearm as she led the way into the mouth of the cave. The Dragon followed silently, a downturn frown on his face. He had obviously been goaded into the carrying of food-stuffs for her on their weekly trip to the nearby village, for his other arm was wrapped firmly around a set of packages from the tiny corner market.

“Zento!” SaRa beamed him a warm smile. “It looks like the aeronen have come back into season again!”

The youth perked up, completely forgetting the final question that had been on his mind. Pulling up the edge of his bandanna in order to clear the hair out of his eyes, Zento quickly went to meet the two of them, pulling some of the packages out of Kudako’s hands.

“The only time you offer help is when there is food,” Kudako stated drolly.

Zento grinned brightly, fishing through the packages for the most prized cold-fruit. Discovering one, he pulled it out triumphantly and waved it in the Dragon’s face. “Come on, ‘Dako. Even you have to say you like the aeronen!”

“There is a pleasantness about them,” the Dragon admitted with the slightest hint of a nod.

“Why can’t you ever just say, ‘Yes, I like them’?” the youth huffed.

“Don’t pick at ‘Dako just because he has a more elegant way of speaking that you do,” SaRa chided her brother, waggling one finger good-naturedly.

“Elegant? Give me a break,” Zento grimaced.

“So what is the new from the outside,” Zemi interjected, glancing over at Kudako.

“The normal fare, Lord Zemi,” the Dragon replied grimly. “Petty squabbling over watering holes… Gathering rights… shortage of food in the northlands… There seems to be one particularly aggressive clan out there by the name of Kai that is pushing its weight around.”

“Is that so?” the Dreigiau murmur.

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Is it anything that might be serious?”

“Hard to say at this early on in the situation,” Kudako answered.

Zemi was quiet for a while before he spoke again. “Kudako, how about going in there and gathering what information you can on this Kai family.”

“As you wish, My Lord,” the Dragon nodded with a slight bow.

“And take Zento with you when you do,” the Dreigiau added.

Zento perked up, almost dropping his fruit at hearing Zemi’s words. Excitement raced through his entire body, his face lighting up in surprise, “Seriously? I can go?”

Kudako, however, gave a dubious look over at the youth, “Do you think that it is a very good idea, Lord Zemi?”

“As a matter of fact,” the Arweinydd grinned, a Dragon’s grin, “I think it’s a great idea. Consider it a step up in Zento’s hands-on training if you must. It’s about time we see what he can do out in the field.”

“Yes!” Zento pumped his fist, giving a wide, toothy grin.

“Mind you, however,” Zemi warned him with a fan of his wings, “You’re under Kudako’s orders. I better not hear about any horseplay out there.”

“Thank you, Zemi! I won’t let you down!” Zento bowed low before the Dreigiau before scuttling off to get his traveling gear together.

Watching the youth dash away, Zemi murmured in a low, amused tone, “I know you won’t, ZenToYa.”

“No!” he pushed away from the image, hands rising up before his face as if to shield his eyes from the terrible vision.

The burning in his chest tore TsuYa from the darkness of his sleep-haze with a sickly choke, his breath wheezing between his lips in labored gasps.

Again… this dream…nightmare… whatever…

He didn’t need to open his eyes to know where he would find himself. Part of him wanted nothing more than to remain curled in his own silence… hoping that if he did not look, did not see, the place around him would not exist. But the burning along the surface of his skin told him otherwise.

How long have I been here…?

Slowly, laboriously he forced his eyes open. Eyes that had grown as dark as the lurking shadows of the chamber’s hidden corners.

“Ahh!” TsuYa jerked back at the sight with a startled, raspy exclamation.

His reflection shown back at him from the surface of a looming glass structure — part of the strange silver globe that stood in the center of the chamber, just as it had always stood in his dreams before. Only, this time, it was TsuYa’s own image that had changed. His complexion had grown darker, skin and hair taking on a sickly shade of grey.

“No!” he pushed away from the image, hands rising up before his face as if to shield his eyes from the terrible vision.

It was then that he saw his hands before him… perfectly fine, untouched by the darkness of his reflection. With a choking hiss of breath, TsuYa flicked his eyes back to the image in the glass, only to find his reflection once more unaltered and normal. Dark green eyes peered back at him, white hair… his skin even more pale than usual from the rising of his fear.

What was that!?

Fighting to regulate the thrumming of his heart, TsuYa remained staring at the glassy surface of the cloudy silver globe. His breath came less labored as, for once in the dream state, the burning in his chest actually began to lessen.

Just a trick of the mind…

The only sounds within the chamber were his panting and the low hum of the strange mechanism that occupied the center of the chamber. The air was still and stale, not even a whisper of motion passing through the long dark streams of cloth that draped from the obscuring shadows of the chamber’s ceiling. There was still a heavy feeling of death lingering upon the stone of the walls… but it was old death, now. A haunting kind of death that shifted among the strange mists and drifted to caress the surface of the glassy, silver globe.

This place is full of mind tricks…

As the light of the globe shimmered in the depths of his eyes, there was movement from the soupy depths of the liquid within. Startled out of his self-thoughts, TsuYa jerked back in a quick crouch, ready for flight-by-instinct. Once again his pulse began to race faster, a sharp feeling of dread tingling through his limbs.

Something in there is alive..?

Each time that he had visited the dream before, there had been a presence within the globe. A presence that had continued to grow more powerful, more dreadful with each return he had made. And this time, the whole room felt tight, wound with tension and trepidation.

Nothing’s ever moved inside of that thing before…

As if in response to his thoughts, the movement came again. Just a shadow flickering from within the silver glow. The mists parted and swirled throughout the room, chilling his skin upon touch.

TsuYa found himself taking another step back. Still, he couldn’t find the will to pull his eyes from the center of the globe. A terrible fascination drew him to watch, just as all of his logic screamed through his mind in warning.

This feeling… it’s… so…

A dull thud resounded through the chamber as the shadow moved within the globe again. This time he could make out a shape… it was a tiny hand, pressing against the glass of the globe, from the inside.

A gasp escaped TsuYa’s lips as he startled back, his daze split apart through sheer surprise. Just as quickly as the shape had formed against the glass, the hand withdrew and vanished.

Another shiver wracked his body. A different sort of shiver. Not one that came from the pressing of the silver mists… but one that was familiar to him all the same.

“Welcome, TsuYa,” a voice resounded through the chamber, worming its way into his mind and capturing him at once. “I see that you have come to visit my son again?”

All coherent thought dribbled out of his ear as he found himself clumsily turning to face the vast presence, the owner of such a voice. Motion was hard, as if he was fighting for control of his own limbs. Thought was dim, his mind struggling to hold fast to his own pattern of thoughts.

A man stood there, bathed in the depths flowing shadows… a man that TsuYa had never seen before. Yet, a man he undoubtedly knew upon first glance.

TsuYa’s voice came in a hoarse rasp, the name fumbling upon his tongue, “Zer…om…”

He was tall and slender-built, dressed down in dark violet robes of fine, wispy material. His facial features were well-sculpted to an unearthly perfection, a hint of arrogance and hidden cruelty shown behind the depths of his eyes… dark eyes that seemed to go on into eternity. His hair, long and caught back in a finely woven wrap, shown a pale silvery-white that was streaked with touches of grey and black throughout.

“You have not forgotten my promise to you, TsuYa?” a slow, deadly smile slithered over the man’s lips.

The Apprentice shook his head, forcing himself to step back.

“I thought not,” Zerom moved forward, a slow, liquid motion upon the air — he had no use for walking. “There is much for you and I to accomplish yet. There is still time before my son will be ready to rise up beside us.”

Did he call this thing his son..?

TsuYa’s eyes darted towards the flickering of shadow within the silver mists of the globe.

But how is that possible?

“Yes. My son… LuShi,” one hand lifted, motioning to the globe in the center of the chamber.

A deathly cold shiver rushed through TsuYa’s mind again, rendering him speechless.

LuShi?

His mouth grew dry, stinging eyes fixed upon the globe once more, the sense of foreboding growing more and more sharp with each passing second.

In the old language… that translates to mean…

Echoes of his last argument with JouKa rushed to fill his head. The things that he had dismissed so casually suddenly reared their head at him in fierce round-about.

The Bane…

The impossibility of such a thing coming to pass shook him to the marrow. The impossibility of the creature that was encapsulated within the silver globe, just a mere few feet away, numbed his body cold. The terror of the dark being that rose before him made his soul scream out in maddening desperation.

Yet all he could do was stand there. Stand there and stare.

All this time… as I have been dreaming… Zerom has been creating this thing?

“Indeed,” Zerom’s slick, dark voice rose around him, caressing through the confusion that held him riveted to the floor. “My son will grow to mark a glorious victory for my forces. Zemi believes that the sheer number of his creations give him the advantage. But I will show him that my single creation will far outstrip anything that he could ever dream up.”

“You want to fight Zemi?” shock and surprise colored TsuYa’s voice.

“Zemi was given a warning not to do as he has done,” the voice grew all at once stern. Cold as stone. “He chose to ignore all that was said… this is something he has brought upon himself.”

“But, isn’t he your brother?”

“My brother?”  A low, chilling sound filtered through the room.

It took TsuYa a moment to realize… Zerom was laughing. Or, something that translated into what could be taken as a laugh. The sound was so devoid of true mirth, so menacing, it choked any further questions out of TsuYa’s mind.

“He ceased to be my brother when he chose to become Rhoi’r. An outcast… one banished from our people for his pride and desire of power,” the words became more distorted, a fuzzed sound around the edges, tinged with a hint of dark madness. The silvery mists began to churn throughout the room in response. “Zemi has become swayed in the grips of Chaos… one that shall be hunted till the ends of land.”

What is he talking about? Zemi… banished and hunted? How can that be?

“And you, young TsuYa. Where do you draw your lines in this battle?” the Arweinydd ‘s voice turned upon him, the full force nearly buckling his knees.

When the Apprentice found himself unable to form the words to answer, Zerom continued.

“You still have a chance, TsuYa…. the School… Nefol… everything that your father and brother are forsaking… these things can be yours.”

A sudden jolt rushed through his limbs at the words. Nefol. His home… the School… everything that he had worked for years to secure in the memory of his father. What would become of it now that the leaders had fled? What of the people… of the teachings… of his position… his birthright?

“Indeed… it should be yours. No one has cared for the establishment quite as much as you have,” the darkness purred to him, beginning to hover closer, feeding into his emotion.

“That’s… true…” the words of agreement hardly sounded like his own. So distant, TsuYa could not feel the motion of his lips as he spoke.

No…! Don’t give into this… you’ve done this before!

One slender-boned hand reached out towards TsuYa, a welcoming motion. Compelled, the Apprentice felt himself moving forward. One wobbly step towards the rising silver mists.

“It can all be yours, TsuYa… you don’t need them to tell you how it is done. You don’t need them to tell you how to live your life.”

You’ve fallen to his tricks before! Remember what happened the first time!?

His teeth bared, streams of struggling sweat trailing down TsuYa’s brow. Somewhere in the depths of his chest, the burning began again. The flickering image of his reflection, transformed — black-eyed, dark-haired – flashed through his mind.

He’s lying to you! Fight it!

The extended hand groped further, becoming less welcoming and more demanding as Zerom felt his efforts being repelled. “TsuYa… you cannot escape what you are meant to become…. my Rhyswyr.”

This time revulsion grew so strong that TsuYa’s voice exploded through him, “No! Never! I’ll never bow to you!”

“You speak as if you have a choice,” a grim smile slipped over the cold, white features. Zerom’s dark eyes focused sharply, draining away any will that might have given his prey a fighting chance.

As the Arweinydd’s fingers splayed wide, the pain within the Apprentice’s chest exploded in sharp sparks, rushing throughout his entire body. TsuYa’s head slammed backwards, reeling on the fragile length of neck as a ripping burst of wetness split open his lower cheek. His voice gurgled from gape-mouthed torment, fighting desperately to sound the agony that consumed him.

Reeling on the tips of his toes in a broken-back arch, his eyes rolling back into his skull, TsuYa felt his senses swim and scatter out of his reach. There was a scream… a scream that did not belong to him. A woman’s scream… and the feeling of movement around him in the phasing darkness that swept over his vision.

Time and again, his name was called. He felt himself shaken roughly, the pain intensifying, welling up until he could no longer bear it… an animalistic screech ripping from his throat. A sound so chilling, so inhuman… it seemed impossible that such a shriek could come from himself.

Jolted fully awake at the sound, TsuYa’s eyes flipped open and the blur of his own room in Ceiswyr slowly rose to his vision. Winged people stood staring at him from the threshold of his doorway, eyes wide with shock and fear. JouKa and Aunt SaRa stood among them, their faces reflecting the same apprehension and concern.

“Tsu…Ya…?” Aunt SaRa finally spoke, voice wobbly and wary.

He gave a low, uncomfortable groan at the sight of so many people staring at him.

“Go on, now. Get back to yer beds!” JouKa turned instantly on the prying eyes, waving them away with wide sweeps of her hands.

Slowly, the people filed out, but not without a few wandering stares in TsuYa’s direction. Finally, JouKa pushed the door shut, turning her own pale face back towards the happenings of the room.

“Hedd-ynad… TsuYa…” Aunt SaRa approached him carefully. “Are you going to tell me that this was just another bad dream, too?”

“What… are you talking about?” he grumbled, fighting to regain his senses. The room wanted to keep spinning, leaving him too dizzy to throw up his normal defenses against his Aunt’s kindly prying.

Aunt SaRa silently pulled a cloth from one side pocket. Folding it into a square, she reached out and gingerly dabbed at his cheek.

“Ow!” TsuYa hissed, suddenly aware of the terrible stinging that enveloped the whole left side of his face.

As she pulled the cloth away, he could see it was wet — covered with a thick black liquid. “I’m talking about this?”

One hand instantly shot up to his face, the stinging intensifying for one blurry-eyed moment. His fingers met with a number of long, yawning gashes that traced the entire lower area of his cheek. When he finally pulled his hand away, it too was covered with a slick black liquid.

Not… blood…

His hand began to shake as he stared down at it.

What is this…?

Gently, Aunt SaRa’s cloth was there, wiping the darkness from his fingers. And her voice broke through his panicked silence. “TsuYa… I think we need to hear what is going on now.”

Even after the darkness had been wiped away, he could not bring himself to drop his hand.

“Com’on, TsuYa. Let us ‘elp ya…” JouKa prodded, hands planted on her hips.

After a long moment of stunned silence, TsuYa looked up at them numbly, fighting back the tears that threatened to overrun his dignity. To his surprise, he heard himself choke in agreement, “Okay…”

'It seems like they’re growing something in there?'

What is this place?

TsuYa peered around the strange chamber cautiously. His limbs felt suspended and his motions, even walking, odd and under-water. Light flickered from above through draping veils of various color, casting skittering shadows on the wall. The floor under his feet, looking to have once been polished to a shine, was far too grimy now to give up his reflection.

The humid stench of death and long-rot draped over the room, seeping into his pores. Death of a very violent nature. TsuYa wasn’t sure how he knew, he could just feel it.

Why is this place familiar?

Dressed in a loose night shirt and common black slacks, the Apprentice was on his way to his sleeping chambers for the night when he somehow ended up here.

I seriously made a wrong turn.

TsuYa’s dark eyes narrowed, picking out shapes in the room. He found himself coughing, fighting to breathe the grim air. Long, stiff figures lay crumpled against the far wall, some seeping dark pools that charted rivers across the grimy floor. Faceless, they were covered in long white squares of cloth, bearing the splattered remembrance of once-living things.

“Hedd-ynad…” he heard himself say. It was his brother’s phrase, and one that he rarely spoke. But nothing else fit the revulsion of the moment better.

In the center of the room was a display of technological wonder. Everything about it was eerily alien — a strange spiral of life tangled within death. The structure emanated a pale, ghostly light as if infused by the lost souls of the pooling figures on the far side of the chamber.

TsuYa found himself both drawn towards it and loathe to come any nearer. His coughing subsided after a moment, but then his chest began to burn.

One long, slender capsule, stood within metal fixtures. Except for the small glass area near the top, it was completely enclosed in a featureless black case. Numerous clear tubes and snaking wires ran into the shell from a small boxlike device.

It looks like some kind of control area for a machine.

A flight of numeric data flickered across a small black screen that was attached to the panel. TsuYa had no idea what any of it meant. His eyes traced the spiderwebbing wires, peering away from the first capsule to observe the second. His chest ached, a growing discomfort. He place one palm over his heart for support, finding his skin was as humid as the air around him. TsuYa forced his thoughts away, focusing on the structure before him.

Okay. Creepy.

Despite the fact the internal area was only a few feet in diameter, the clear globe-shaped pod took up most of the space in the center of the room. It was filled with a clear, syrupy liquid. Between the two capsules ran a single set of tubing. There seemed to be some sort of energy exchange flowing into the globe from the first capsule.

It seems like they’re growing something in there.

The whole structure quivered, fingers of silvery light reached out from the center of the globe. There was something moving within, something that blended into the light so easily that it was almost unperceivable to his eyes. But it was there. He could feel it becoming stronger with each passing heartbeat. And something about it left his body numb with terror.

I gotta get out of here!

TsuYa took a step back, shaking his head, trying to get the image out of his vision. He found himself suddenly frantic to leave the chamber. One quick glance around told him there were no doors.

There’s no way out of this place!

He choked with a huge gasping breath. The burning in his chest was unbearable. Staring down, TsuYa saw a shadow under his hand, spreading over his skin between the cracks of his clutching fingers.

“No! No! Noooo!” Swept by frenzied fear and the mounting pain, TsuYa collapsed against one of the slick walls. A howl wrenched from his lips. It began in his throat, transforming into a wraithlike shriek.

Something grasped his shoulders. Wrapped around his wrists. Hands came from the shadows, pinning his back against the wall. He heard a call, distant and distorted. Voices echoing in his mind, all saying his name. He wanted to lash out, throw off the weight. Break away, run in terror from the voices. But he was too weak to fight, too weak to think. The burning in his chest intensified with every heave of breath.

Something cold fell across his face. It jolted him, his eyes widening, the world reeling around him. The room peeled back, his vision shattering. TsuYa realized he was staring into the pale face of Aunt SaRa. And he was dripping wet with cold water.

Her hands were on his shoulders, fighting to keep him held against the white wall of the hall in the compound of Ceiswyr. Where he had been walking on his way to his sleeping chamber.

There were others there. Winged people he did not know, some who held him at his wrists, keeping his back against the wall. The dim shadow of Suzume peeked from behind robes, between feathers, a look of fear plainly there despite the veiling of her eyes.

“TsuYa?” Aunt SaRa shook him, as if he had been sleepwalking. “Do you hear me, now? Tsu?”

He coughed, blinking his watery eyes, “Aunt SaRa?”

“Oh, thank goodness,” her breath gushed out, hands slowly relaxing their hold upon him.

Seeing this, the winged people moved away. A few peered at where TsuYa now slumped, half crumpled without the hands to hold him up. Someone ushered Suzume off down the hall. They all knew to give Aunt SaRa her room.

“What happened?” TsuYa heard himself ask, staring up at his aunt like a frightened little boy. He fought the panic that threatened to show.

“I was hoping that you could tell me,” her tone was gentle and understanding, even in the face of the terrible unknown. “We heard you shout — it woke the whole hall up. When I came out, you were up against the wall, holding your chest. We thought you’d hurt yourself somehow.”

TsuYa lowered his eyes. Something in him yearned to cling to her, to tell her about the things he had seen. Like he had sometimes seen SoYa do when he had nightmares as a child.

I’m no child!

“When we tried to help you, you thrashed about like mad,” Aunt SaRa informed him with a grave face. “It took many of us to keep you down.”

But was that really just a dream?

“TsuYa?” she said gently into his silence.

He had nothing to say to her.

“Are you hurt?”

Gathering up all his resources, he murmured, “I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” she was giving him his room. But there was still a trace of fear etched into her face, as if she knew there was something that ran much deeper.

“Yeah. I just want some sleep.”

“Do you want me to walk with you to your ro–”

“No, I think I can handle it.” TsuYa pushed himself to his feet, suppressing the low groan.

“Okay,” Aunt SaRa said, voice hardly a whisper. She pushed herself up on her tip toes and placed a soothing kiss on his cheek. “Good night, TsuYa.”

“‘Night, Aunt SaRa.”

He felt a little guilty as she turned, making her way back to her room. He knew he should have thanked her — other people would have pried or jabbed him with suspicion. But Aunt SaRa wasn’t like that. She somehow knew the right way to treat him, even back when he was a kid. And he never made an effort to return the favor.

TsuYa sighed, letting the tension roll off of his shoulders. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t real.

Really creepy, but not real.

That’s when he realized that his hand was still on his chest. As he drew his palm away, TsuYa’s mind began to numb. Under the spot where his hand had pressed, the flesh of his chest had turned a sickly color grey.