Destiny Fractured

There was something about being in the wrong place at the wrong time that just made one’s hair stand on end. It was a palpable feeling that filled the stomach with a sour ichor, generating bile that threatened to blast up at any moment. Wicked intent was not always so easy to distinguish but when it was on the forefront of everything and openly displayed, it was hard to ignore. Even from a distance, one could tell that they were in for a challenge that could threaten one’s very life. Then again, that was a generalization in these lands that lay before them. There was a reason it was called the Spooky Forest and not the Forest of Cuddly Warm Fuzzy Wuzzies. It’s very nature was chilling right to the bone and left the one’s courage feeling worn and weary.

But Gren Ragnos was used to this kind of sensation at this point. How rare was it for him to go somewhere that felt warm and welcoming, even within the walls of the Order of Souls’ complex. He was an agent, dispatched to investigate paranormal rumblings and magical curiosities and report back to his superiors. Only a few of those instances resulted in him actually having to fight enemies but the danger was always present. It was a part of the job at this point and he felt it better not to linger on it, lest he should start to question his motives. He owed the Order his literal life and the meaningful tasks they sent him on were genuine, if not a bit shady. But even then, he understood why they moved through the shadows with such cloak and dagger intent.

When he had returned from finally seeing Mythal again and connecting with friends and family, his allegiance to the Order had been… strained. Though he’d always had the thoughts about how painful it was to be apart from his son, they had come rushing through his excuses like a tidal wave after everything he’d discussed with Serilda. She’d laid it out plain for him, unwilling to compromise in her beliefs and understandings without substance. It was a rewarding encounter, one he was thankful for even as he trudged through the dark canopy of Spooky Forest. She’d helped him gather the courage to speak up about his misgivings when he returned and his reward for his stance had been surprisingly enlightening. He’d been given access to an entire slew of new understanding when it came to the Order of Souls, having earned the trust of both Zifu Kuttuvan and her husband, the Master of the Order. He’d come to understand just how important Mythal was to the order, not even as a weapon but as a living, breathing person.

Of course, his understanding and revelations had been kept quiet. He’d been assured that the Order was taking steps and making preparations to properly introduce themselves to Serilda and Mythal but it required time. And frankly, it required security as well. He’d learned more about the threats that had previously and presently brought danger to the Order’s doorstep and, more importantly, how his role in it played. The sweet spot for an introduction hadn’t been properly met yet, though there had been several close moments. Yet each time something new had suddenly cropped up and created tension and threat towards the Order and the ones they sought to meet. It was frustrating but there wasn’t much Gren could do about it, save try and intercede on their behalf where and when he could.

In the meantime, he was given full reign to meet with his son and his betrothed as often as he liked, so long as he was quiet about it. He got several opportunities to see them, finally settling back into the role of father that he had missed for so long. Mythal had grown up to become a fine man, if not a bit grumpy and anti-social. He and Serilda were two halves of the same coin and it delighted the former Knight to see them happy with one another. He hadn’t expected many large steps in a short amount of time but the ascending staircase of a solid relationship was there; it would just take patience and time. Yet right in the midst of reconnecting with his friends and family, Seri and Mythal had brought to him a mind-boggling revelation that had shaken him to his core.

Vandrad duWolff had approached them and revealed that he was, in fact, the son of Gren and Themesycia. The name brought back bittersweet memories, ones that he had even revealed to Serilda the first time they had properly interacted. They’d parted many years ago after a truly terrifying situation, with the Knight expressing how willing he was to explore more of their relationship. But the now-Duchess had turned him down, stating that she had simply gotten caught up in the moment. It had hurt, as he had truly felt something for Themesycia but he had bid her farewell and returned to his duties. A motion that had turned out beneficial; if he had gone with Themesycia all those years ago, there was no telling what would have befallen Mythal. But the fact remained that she had gotten pregnant from their intercourse and had never sought to inform him of his true-blood son. It was a slight he didn’t take easy but he put it aside for the sake of meeting Vandrad.

And he did want to meet Vandrad, sooner rather than later. In fact, his current mission was to be his last before he set out to go and meet the prince. It was a mind-boggling thought, knowing that he had a son that was nearly forty years old at that point. So many years passed that he had gone without meeting Vandrad and he wasn’t sure just how their first meeting would go about. He’d wracked his brain trying to think of what the right thing was to say, what he should do, if he should bring anything and the like. If he thought that re-meeting Mythal after so many years was going to be awkward, this was going to be an entirely new level. It was these thoughts that kept his attention most of the way and that, in turn, caused him to remain awfully quiet.

"Hey geezer, you’ve been awfully quiet this entire time. Not that I mind -- watchin’ your ass is more than enough entertainment for me.”

Gren sighed softly as he turned his gaze backwards at his partner for his mission. A woman in her late 20’s, she was about as crass and forward as anyone could be. She stood a head shorter than him and looked like she rather belonged in a biker gang than on a job with the Order of Souls. The sides of her head were shaved down to the scalp, with a thin strip of dark brown hair running down the middle of her skull before coming to an end near the top of the bulb. The rest of the hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Symbol tattoos ran along her scalp to her temple, with the rest of it hiding beneath her grown hair. A gold metal trinket covered the entirety of her right ear, pierced through the thin flesh three distinct points like earrings. More tattoos appeared on her neck and spread over her body, her torso a tapestry of colorful art. She covered most of it with clothing, when she opted to wear articles of clothing. For this mission she had chosen a studded leather jacket on top of wrapped white straps that curled around her neck and held her nearly flat chest in place. Her midriff was on display, save for the crossover of the straps that covered her belly button and ran down into her pants. Tight brown slacks clung to her hips and legs, with openings directly over her hips to reveal more tattooed flesh. Her belt was adorned with holsters for firearms on either side, with one such weapon safely nestled into her left side. Long black boots covered her feet, with dull heels digging into the mossy ground with little to no sound.

Her name was Monica Belle and she was a member of Lusty Titan. “You might want to keep your attention on watchin’ your surroundin’s, Ms. Belle,” Gren replied coolly, giving her a coy look.

"Hey, I got peripheral vision. I can see plenty around that juicy butt of yours,” she teased back, giving him a mischievous grin. "Also I told ya to call me Monica. Ms. Belle makes me sound like a fuckin’ teacher.”

One of the Order of Souls first moves in recent times was to reach out to the Lusty Titans guild, an independent establishment that was run by the Prime Sin of Lust, Ruzatz. He was an intriguing demon that had been on the Order’s radar for a long time, simply because he seemed completely disinterested in causing issues to the living world. In fact, he had gone as far as to marry a human woman, Agatha, without corrupting her or turning her into a demon. Now he ran a guild that traded in information and simply enjoyed the more… colorful aspects of life. All the data gathered on him seemed to point to him being an ally against the more corrupted forces in the pathos and after discovering his actions to aid Mythal, the time had come to reach out. Luckily Ruzatz was more than welcoming and sought to assist the Order, stating that he was a fan of their work already. Partnering Monica and Gren was only one step in a larger scale trial to establish a true partnership.

In fact, this mission had come from a prior joint effort between Lusty Titans and the Order. Through hardship and investigation, it had been discovered that several members of the former Sons of Faera were still alive. Though most of them operated in their daily lives like they had given up their prior commitments, there was still reason to speculate. And finally they’d made a grand stride -- one of the members had been called to a meeting in Spooky Forest under the auspices of establishing a new connection to a client. It looked commonplace on the face of things but nobody simply went to Spooky Forest on a whim or attempted some kind of business meeting. It didn’t make much sense. So Gren and Monica were sent in to eavesdrop and see what they could learn.

"You oughta be proud, chief. Two whole mission’s and we ain’t even slept together yet. I ain’t gonna lie to you and say it ain’t easy to get me out of my pants either if ya really wanted…”

“Well, there are several factors contributin’ to that fact,” Gren said matter-of-factually as he stopped before a steep hillside. His eyes trailed over to a series of trees that seemed to stretch up towards the top of the hill. The meeting place was on the other side of this land swell and using one of the trees, they should be able to get up and hidden without anyone noticing.

"Oh really? What’s that?” She asked curiously, genuinely interested in his thoughts.

“Well one, we’re on a job. Two, there could be people waitin’ to kill us around each and every corner. And three, I had duties that keep me from focusin’ on who I am or am not sleepin’ with,” Gren explained as he walked over to the nearest tree and leapt up to the trunk. Grabbing it with both hands, he hoisted himself up and then turned around, offering his hand down to her. She took it and allowed herself to be pulled up from the ground, though she snuggled a bit closer to him as they stood on the branch together.

"I dunno, sounds like lame ass excuses to me,” she said, that same wicked twinkle in her eye. She was even moving her head in to try and steal a kiss from him before he ducked back and leapt to another branch. She rolled her eyes, though still managing to smirk in amusement. After all, the hardest to catch were always the most fun.

She followed him from branch to branch, moving even quieter than he already was. Soon enough they made it onto the tree that rested on the top of the hillside, keeping themselves close to the trunk and finding an extension that gave them a perfect view of the area below. It was a glade, hidden among the mossy hills, with several stumps aligned in a circle. A large bonfire was blazing in the center of the stumps, several logs piled up to keep the fire roaring for some time. The clearing was empty as they settled in but within a few minutes, two figures had made their way over the opposing hill and were descending to the spot. They were cloaked in dark brown robes, the cowls hiding their features as well.

“... dangerous to meet like this and on such short notice,” one of them said, a soft male voice.

“The time is upon us. We could not afford to wait,” the other said, a deep female voice.

“Why were we not prepared for this? The Dark Mistress usually provides signs that she intends to act, yet we have not seen anything in so long. Why was it just you who received anything?” the man asked hurriedly.

“There are three reasons. The first is that our Dark Mistress sought alternative methods to her ascending beyond the one she will now partake in. It is a dangerous task and ritual but it seems that her options are limited and she desires to bring her vision to this world sooner rather than later. Her Trumpets are already placed about the world and are ready to provide aid once she has arrived. But she must act swiftly and quietly so she only brought visions to those that she deemed worthy. The second reason is, of course, that I was the one tasked with observing Archimedes’ daughter, the failed vessel. I was able to report when the Rune Knights moved in and captured her, seemingly bringing the threat of her rebellion to an end.”

“Was that ever a concern? She was a failed vessel, clearly she lacks the ability or strength to rival our Dark Mistress,” the man said, scoffing at the notion.

“Perhaps but our Dark Mistress believes there is something deeper at hand. You see the Son of Archimedes, the true vessel, has ventured to Kingdom Darkness and upon his arrival, brought forth a legend long since forgotten. That of the Darkness King.”

A long beat of stunned silence. “Can this be true? The horn of the Darkness King… did it ring?”

The woman nodded softly as she walked closer to the fire, holding out her hands to warm them. “It seems so. Our Dark Mistress wishes to take control of him before it is too late. By doing so, she’ll undoubtedly establish herself as the true ruler of creation. She will become the Darkness King and, as such, fulfill the prophecy that was once foretold.”

The man nodded softly. “When will she begin?”

The woman turned to him. “Why, it already has. Her message to her followers was merely the prologue before she began the ritual. Within hours, the true vessel will be hers and this world will fling open its doors to darkness.”

Gren’s muscles tensed up. Everything he’d heard thus far had been truly terrifying but nothing chilled him to the bone worse than hearing that Faera was already enacting her plan. She was not waiting or goading for a challenge -- she was looking to complete her mission before they even had time to retaliate. Every fiber in his being screamed at him to escape then and there, warp to Mythal and warn him of whatever was coming. But doing so would put Monica in danger… Even as he thought it, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see the woman. She was nodding, apparently understanding what he was feeling. She jerked her head to the side, signaling that they should get out of there. They both started to move out of their perches and prepared to make their quiet escape.

“What was the third reason?”

They both stopped, turning to look over their shoulders at the meeting.

“Oh, that. Well, the third reason is that I knew I was being followed and studied. Faera entrusted me with the task of delivering this news to you and activating you, so that you could slay our shadows in the trees there.”

"Oh fuck.”

A rush of magical power exploded out from the man’s robe and revealed a figure that was more ghost than man. A pure white humanoid figure from head to toe, he giggled maniacally as his golden eyes burned bright in the darkness of the forest. He pulled out a katana as black as night and rushed at the tree, swinging the weapon violently towards the trunk. Both Gren and Monica managed to dive out from the thicket of branches and leaves to the ground below, each one rolling out of their falls and getting to their feet.

“Well, well, well! A couple of little birdies. Where are your invitations?!” the white man demanded as he landed on the ground between them, looking in each of their directions with glee.

"Up your ass and around the corner, white boy,” Monica remarked.

“Oooh, how testy. I think I should start with you, pretty girl,” the creature hissed, turning to face her fully.

With the creature’s back to him, Gren cloaked himself in lightning and dashed forward, looking to slam his knee into the small of the back and break the spine in one swift motion. But before he could even fully move his leg, the creature had spun around and slammed the handle of the katana into his stomach, using the former Knight’s own momentum to purge the air from his lungs.

“Wait your turn!” The creature cackled before swinging its sword up, cutting the blade through Gren’s cheek and eyebrow. Blood burst from the wound and covered the older man’s eye, even as the pain radiated through his head. The creature was already setting up for another swing, this one far more lethal than the last.

"Watch your dick!” Monica told him, her body melting back into form right below the creature. Her fist, cloaked in a bright white fog, slammed into the monster’s groin with full force. Adding her strength to the attack, she followed through with the punch to send the creature soaring back into the woods, breaking through one full tree trunk and embedding in the one behind it.

Gren struggled to his feet, his face a bloody mess. Monica grabbed his arm and hoisted him up fully. "Plan?” she asked, her eyes trained on the creature already rousing and moving.

“Hold on!” Gren cried. Electricity surged out from his body and spread over the two of them, even as the monster launched itself from the tree right at them. Just as its sword swung, the two agents exploded upwards in a bolt of lightning, electrifying the creature as they made their hasty retreat. There was no time to waste.

They had to get to Mythal.

Mythal couldn’t actually recall a day he was sick like this.

Sure, there had been plenty of times that he had been hungover. In his mind, those were the worst instances of being sick. The world feels impossibly loud and overbearing and his head would throb so heavily that he could barely even see straight. But as far as he understood, that wasn’t how normal instances of getting sick were, at least not in the mild cases. It involved getting the sniffles and sore throats and achiness; things that he’d never fully experienced or, if he had, he couldn’t recall. He’d never even really thought about it before either -- his life moved on its own path and so quickly that he rarely had time to consider the smaller things. Yet he had awakened feeling groggy, as if he hadn’t slept at all the night before. Slowly as the day continued on, his symptoms started to grow and grow. First it was a headache that started to get more and more annoying and then his throat started to dry out, leaving it raw and sore. He also felt slightly cold and hazy, pieces of his memory seemingly vanished without a trace. Serilda had assured him that this was what a common cold looked and felt like and the Darkness King had been surprised to realize that he’d never experienced it before.

And, of course, it came upon one of the worst days to get sick. It was a moment that he and Serilda had been waiting for over a long spanse of time. Ever since Vandrad had revealed his existence as the son of Gren, the pair had hoped and prayed they would be getting to this pivotal meeting. They had played it coy enough, wanting to ensure they didn’t put Gren’s safety at risk by acknowledging his resurrection. The reveal of his long-lost son had gone… well enough, for the most part. He was understandably upset, shaken that such a heavy responsibility had been ripped from his hands before he even got the chance to participate. While he relished the time he had gotten with Mythal, he still felt it was wrong to rob him of the chance to help raise his other son as well. The initial hit had been hard but slowly he accepted it, though there was never a question of how willing he was to meet the prince. He was thrilled over the idea, even if it was going to take some effort and time. He’d need to clear it with the organization he was with before he could commit.

In the meantime, it had become something of a habit to spend time with the Fairy Tail wizard and his female friend, Mercury. Though they had protested against any kind of romantic notion the first time they met, it was more than obvious that not only were they sleeping together but the feelings had started to develop as well. It was a story Mythal and Serilda knew all too well and, at this point, could recite the steps almost in their sleep. But it was best to let them figure that out on their own, leaving them to their excuses until it became time for the levy to break. So they continued to meet up for dinners, Vandrad seeking to get to know Mythal better and learning more about his prior family and the one he was marrying into. The prince was a stalwart kind of man, clearly brought up with the same royal mannerisms as Serilda. Mercury was more his speed -- a bit more on the normal, common side that was quick with a comment even if it wasn’t considered proper. Overall they were a delightful couple, which was about as strange as anything else in the world. Mercury and Vandrad weren’t exactly what one might call compatible -- they mixed about as well as beer and liquor in the wrong pattern. Yet somehow it worked, her quirks seeming to bounce off of his and reflect back without issue.

Even on his side with Serilda, it was a bit odd to suddenly have another couple to interact with. Nessa and Markus were always a good alternative to go and have dinner and drinks with but the schedules between the four never seemed to match up. At least Mythal was able to hear about Nessa through Vandrad, along with the rest of the state of the Fairy Tail guild. It had been some time since he had gone to visit and he had to admit, he kind of missed his old stomping grounds. But back to the point, Mythal was used to simply having Serilda around with Grappa and Jellisha. Any ‘free’ time was spent enjoying his family as fully as possible. So the sudden addition of other guests for dinner was strange, to say the least, but not unwelcome. It was quite the interesting parallel, listening to Vandrad talk about where he grew up and how his younger life had been. Mercury tended to deflect questions about her home, quick to make a joke or draw the attention back to someone else. She was hiding it for a reason but, whatever it was, it wasn’t his information to dig into. He was happy to get to know her and Vandrad both, especially now that it provided more family he hadn’t had before. Though they shared no blood, he honestly saw Vandrad as his brother.

He heard Mercury and Vandrad arrive, the boisterous Silver Wolf mage quick to make her presence known, as always. Mythal pushed himself up slowly from the bed he had been laying on, simply trying to allow himself time to rest and recuperate. Honestly, he didn’t feel all that better -- his world was still dim and his body felt weak and worn. Good chance he would be avoiding any and all alcohol with dinner. He hoisted himself to his feet slowly and took a moment to get his bearings. A soft whine caught his attention and he turned his gaze to the window, where Gren’s eye was looking in from outside. The Star Wolf had grown far too large to simply roam the house at the point, so while it was still warm, he rested out on the lawn right outside the master bedroom when they went to bed. Gren loved it -- sleeping on the grass filled him with such glee that he often fell asleep with a big grin on his face. “Yeah, I’m sure ya can feel how shitty I feel as well,” the Darkness King remarked with a soft laugh, waddling over to the window and leaning out. He rested his hand on the dog’s snout, giving it a couple of soft pats. “I’ll be fine. Just havin’ dinner and then I’ll pro’lly be back to sleep this off.”

He started to pull his hand away but Gren whined a bit louder and pushed himself against the palm, as if he was trying to keep him from leaving. It was an odd thing to happen -- usually Gren was so happy go lucky that nothing bothered him. But he seemed quite distressed. Then again, Mythal had never been sick before so this was probably a new and worrying development. “I promise, pal. I’ll be back in no time.” Another couple of pets were given to the massive Star Wolf before Mythal finally pulled back and started his trek downstairs. He could already hear the three of them talking in the kitchen as he rounded the staircase and headed through the door. “Hey guys,” Mythal greeted Mercury and Vandrad, giving them each a weak wave. “Sorry ‘bout this. Apparently whatever bug I got decided it wanted to hit full force today. Imagine that, right?” He tried to sniff at the air but found no aroma. Now his nostrils were blocked too? “I’m gonna sit down in the dinin’ room, if ya don’t mind. Room’s wobblin’ a bit for me.”

As he made his way there, Vandrad followed after him immediately, opting to join his adoptive brother. As the Darkness King sat himself down, sighing to be somewhere with a solid foundation, the prince sat down across from him. “So ya figure out what’s goin’ on yet? Ya got a glint in your eye that seems to say you already know what’s up.”

“I appreciate the offer, Mercury, but I’ll be a’ight. I’ve been drinkin’ plenty of water and I’ll pro’lly go and lie down a little after dinner, just to get a quick jump on restin’.” The Darkness King kindly turned down the Silver Wolf mage. As sure as he was that some medicine may help, he really just wanted to sleep. His body was practically demanding that he go back upstairs and just close his eyes. But he refused -- he knew how important this night was and he wanted to make sure that he was there to support both Vandrad and Gren. It was going to be emotional, if his remeeting with his adoptive father was any example to follow. He just needed to take it easy as much as possible and that meant finding a place to sit sooner rather than later.

Sitting down had helped a little bit but also not very much. Having something solid underneath him provided Mythal with at least something stable to keep him up but already, having walked down the stairs, his body felt even more drained. His vision continued to deteriorate in small portions, a darkness creeping in on the edges of his eyeline. Maybe he should have stayed upstairs and rested until Gren was actually here and dinner was ready. He blinked away as much as he could to clear his vision as he turned his attention to Vandrad, deciding to ask outright if he knew what was going on. It seemed the prince had had an inkling before he arrived but Seri had given him enough clues to finalize his guess. He admitted that all of the evidence had well convinced him prior to even meeting Mythal and Serilda and he had simply gone along with the scheme for their’s and Gren’s sakes, teasing him over the depths of their deception. “Well we were a bit stunned, you appearin’ out of nowhere and all,” Mythal shot back, smirking weakly.

The Darkness Slayer took a moment to sigh softly and collect his senseless thoughts before Vandrad spoke up, his voice low and oddly sincere. He thanked Mythal and Serilda for their actions, knowing full well that they had kept their secrets for good reasons and appreciating that they had decided to trust him with the combined secret. He remarked that he wasn’t used to people aiding him with goals, though it seemed his family, the duWolffs, always supported him. But there were differences between him and them that were distinct and seemed to set him apart. Mythal nodded. “I never felt right anywhere. Considerin’ my past, it made sense and I kinda leaned into it, expectin’ the worse. But Gren took me in and taught me better, for as long as he could. I kinda lost sight of all that after he was gone and got a bit lost myself. I felt like I was alone in the world and I guess I was, though that was me makin’ it like that. When I eventually joined Fairy Tail, everythin’ changed. All that goodness came back and reminded me that it was there, buried beneath all the shit. Just hadta’ find it again.” Though he had a lot in common with Mercury in terms of personality, Mythal and Vandrad certainly shared a past that was damaged and painful. And it was that connection that kept them close, even in the short amount of time they had known one another.

Vandrad decided that he should lighten the mood, considering Mythal wasn’t feeling great. He explained that, while he had assumed the dinner was about Gren, he had been wondering about a second possibility that was apparently more far-fetched. The Darkness King knew this simply because Vandrad got a bit flustered and stumbled over his words, clearly regretting bringing the subject up but bulldozing through his issues over them. He revealed that he wasn’t entirely sure that Serilda and Mythal were simply spending time with him and Mercury for the sake of bringing them into the relationship. Mythal stared at the prince for a moment, his hazy mind trying to understand what that even meant. After a moment it clicked. “Oh,” he said softly as the buzzer rung. “Oh!” A second, more understanding exclamation as the words truly hit home. And then he started to laugh, the most energetic action he had taken all day. “Oh hell no. No offense to you or Mercury or nothin’ but we ain’t about that life. We’re perfectly satisfied with one anotha’ and don’t need to be addin’ third or fourths to the party. That is funny,” he calmed down, feeling more drained from the action but honestly, it was too amusing not to chuckle at. “And trust me, others have tried. There’s a woman at the Knights who is obsessed wit’ tryin’ to get in bed with both of us. Hell, goin’ even past that, has Seri told you about Ruzatz and Agatha? Well…”

Mythal started to explain about the odd friendship they had developed with the leaders of the Lusty Titans when his voice went hollow. The effects of his sickness were hitting him hard all of a sudden -- worse than they had before. He blinked slowly a few times, thinking his vision had faded from how exhausted his body was. It came back but it was hazy and blurry and his head was pounding like someone was hammering his skull directly. Worse yet, his chest felt tight and drawing in breath was becoming extremely difficult. “I uh…” he stuttered softly, putting his hands on the table to steady himself. Vandrad said something but he couldn’t understand it. Where the hell was he?

A sudden bright light appeared at the end of the table as a figure materialized out of thin air. Before the lightman could even take a step, Vandrad was there, grabbing him around the neck and lifting him up into the air. The prince demanded to know who they were and Mythal tried to make out who they were. But then a voice, clear as day, spoke up -- an all too familiar voice that had been gone for a long time.

“Let me go, you damn steroid juicing meathead!” Lux demanded. His hands were wrapped around Vandrad’s wrist, trying to pry the hand around his neck. The fact that the prince even had a grip on him at all was a question for later. “I’m Lux! His goddamn Seal! I am here to warn you! Where’s his chick, Serilda? SERILDA! SOMETHING IS HAPPENING TO MYTHAL. He’s under attack and it’s bad. It’s tearing him apart from the inside and it is fucking dark. Like even I can’t break it the way I am!” the Lightbringer yelled as loud as possible, turning his head slightly towards the kitchen.

As if that wasn’t enough trouble sparking up out of nowhere, the entire house suddenly shook as what sounded and felt like thunder exploded just above the roof. It was a familiar sound for the likes of Mythal and Serilda, who knew what Gren’s entrance sounded like but it clearly made Vandrad jump as he demanded to know who Lux had brought. “N-No, it’s G-Gr--” Mythal tried to explain but found his words lost again. Who was he trying to explain about again?

The front door burst open and revealed Gren, whose face was half-covered in blood. Walking right beside him was a shorter woman, dressed like she was some kind of lacrima-biker with the tattoos to match. “Mythal!” he called out as he came charging through the door, his voice wracked with concern and fear. He came around the corner to the dining room, his eyes widening as he met Mythal’s fading gaze. “No, it’s happening.”

"Heya folks uh… this is fuckin’ awkward but I’m Monica. I work with Gren and shit…” Monica gave a half-hearted greeting, her eyes scanning the faces in front of her.

Gren ran to Mythal’s side and took him by the shoulders, even as the Darkness King started to lean over and fall off the chair. “This is Faera. She’s performin’ some kind of ritual to get to him from the inside. We have to take him to the Order. They’ll have wards in place to slow the progress. If we don’t move now, we’re going to lose him in minutes.” Gren turned his gaze to Serilda. “I know you don’t trust ‘em but they have the means to save him, I just know they do. They have to.” It was clear that Gren didn’t really know if they did or not but he knew enough about them to assume they would find an answer.

"If we’re goin’ there, should we really be takin’ a full posse?” Monica asked Gren. "No offense guys, it’s just that the Order is super secret and all that and I don’t know if they’ll be too happy if we bring a bunch of strangers with us.”

“No, I…” Suddenly Gren remembered about Vandrad and pulled his gaze away from Mythal long enough to look up at the prince, realizing. He swallowed hard. “They all come. I’ll vouch for them.” Once more he turned his attention to Serilda. “We have to go now. Are you ready?”

If Monica was offended by Serilda snapping in her general direction, she certainly showed no sign of it. Honestly, considering that a man was having some kind of magical attack in her dining room, she didn’t blame her for being short and sharp with her words. Besides, it wasn’t like the Order of Souls was her organization after all. If Gren was giving it the green light, then that was all that mattered. She was just doing what she could to offer insight. She gave a nod as she once again took a moment to scan the room. Seriously, what was with all these hot people in the same place? It wasn’t the right time to notice that, of course, but she really couldn’t help but notice just how attractive all the people were.

Though it didn’t fall on Vandrad to make the call, his quick words were the final ones spoken in the house on the subject. And in spite of himself, Gren was happy to see that his long-lost son was understanding enough to focus on the matter at hand rather than get upset over his night getting trampled on. “Alright, everyone try to stay calm. This is gonna feel a bit strange.” The former Knight summoned his magical power and extended it outwards, streaks of electricity darting around the room and running over the shoulders of everyone present. Once he was connected to everyone, Gren focused on the location of the hidden base and then, with a loud bang as thunderous as the one before, they were all pulled into the lightning bolt of Gren’s design and launched skyward. The room they were in would certainly need a bit of cleaning up once everything had been solved.

If everything could be solved.

Inside the lightning bolt would certainly feel strange. It was a bit like being enclosed in a tight closet space, with a bunch of other people pressed against every side. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable but it wasn’t roomy and one would probably know the people around them a little better than before. But they wouldn’t be travelling for long; Gren had put all of his power into increasing his speed tenfold, the bolt streaking through the sky at such a high and violent rate that it ripped clouds apart. As it came over the Haunted Lands, it suddenly jerked downwards and smashed through the ground, burying itself deep into the soil. From there it exploded into a room of ancient stone, releasing all the members of the party and separating them back into the positions they had been before.

Gren fell to his knees, his magical energy drained practically to the drop. The room was a long, cubed space that was filled with texturized day-gray stone. An open doorway, nearly the size of the room itself, lay several yards in front of them, with two off-chute chambers ascending upwards in opposing directions. But the room they were in didn’t seem to have anything special about it. Still, Gren threw his hands up, palms facing away from his body. A small trinket hung between his thumb and index finger on his right hand, a chain link necklace almost. “Do not harm these people, they are here with my permission and upon my wishes. Please.” He called out loudly, his voice cracking with urgency and fear.

It didn’t seem he was talking to anyone in particular. And even all the magic users that specialized in being able to sense bodies or presences would find their abilities quiet, telling them that the room was empty minus the party. Yet Gren was on edge for a few seconds more, his eyes snapping back and forth through the room. After a tense period of time, he released a sigh of relief and dropped his hands. “Please, we need to get my son help. Faera is making her move -- she’s attacking him as we speak.”

Even as he pleaded for assistance, there was no movement within the room. The only indication that anything was happening was that Gren’s head drooped a little, though that may have been exhaustion more than anything else. He turned to look at Mythal, who miraculously looked slightly better than he had only minutes ago. There was a bit of color in his cheeks and the sweat on his brow had lessened substantially. He still looked sick but it was as if he had been given a brief remedy for his symptoms. He showed this by opening his eyes again, blinking wearily. “Where… where are we?” he asked, wincing as he tried to move but found his body slow and heavy. At least his mind felt a bit clearer for the moment. He looked around the room carefully, taking in the faces of the party that had come with him.

Before Gren could offer an explanation, the back wall of the doorway shifted. A single panel of stone shuddered and then began to rise up into the ceiling, revealing a hidden path behind it. Through it walked a woman of unexplainable beauty, her skin dark, rich and vibrant. Upon her head was a crown of sorts; a piece embedded with jewels and diamonds all along the forehead of the garment. On either side, jutting out, were two horn shaped growths, painting her in the image of a woman with bull horns. She wore an elegant robe of white and black stripes, with a wide white collar blooming from her neck and shoulders. It was of silken make, highlighted by black edges all along the top. The robes ran down the length of her body and opened up around her pelvis, revealing long and tight black leggings beneath the hem of the skirt. A gold belt wrapped around her waist, complemented by black boots with golden caps over the knees. Her chocolate eyes looked between the members of the arrived party carefully before resting upon Mythal.

A group of robed men and women moved behind her, members of the Order that looked more like scientists than soldiers. They flanked her on either side, awaiting their orders as they marched into the room. “We need to get Director Ragnos into one of our healing chambers right away. Do we have your permission to take him? My people can help stabilize him on the way,” the woman spoke quickly and sincerely, looking for acknowledgement from Serilda, most of all. Once she had given her permission, she would turn and casually nod to the doctors behind her. They would rush forward to Mythal, their magic activating instantly as they came on either side of Mythal.

Another doctor woman would walk in late from behind the elegant woman, though she certainly didn’t look the part. The only thing that distinguished her as any kind of medical professional was the robe she wore and, even then, it looked more like a leisurely robe one might wear around the house, with its purple fur lining the bottom and collar. She had green hair that draped down just above her neck, perfectly cut all around her head. Her thick bangs covered her forehead as they framed her studious and neutral face. A chain collar wrapped around her neck and, from there, golden chains filtered down under her shoulders and disappeared into her robe. She wore a top that was… almost a bathing suit top but it didn’t quite cover the entirety of her robust chest and frankly, figuring out what kept the outfit on would require study in and of itself. The only other article of clothing she wore, besides the strapped sandals on her feet, was a pair of what looked like swimming bottoms, thin and wrapped tight on her hips. Two cross-like figures stuck out from her hair, embellishments to an already odd-looking woman.

“Director Ragnos, I’m Dr. Wanda. I understand you’re suffering from a magical attack. Please remain calm,” she said smoothly, bending down to one knee so she was on level with Mythal. The Darkness King blinked as he looked at all the doctors surrounding him, his eyes settling on Doctor Wanda. “This is going to tingle a little. In a few moments, your vitals should stabilize enough that you’re not in pain.” The doctor reached out and pressed her hand against Mythal’s wrist, her fingers gently depressing his skin. Magic flowed through his veins, a warm feeling that was quickly followed a cold, tingling sensation -- just as she said. With her other hand, Doctor Wanda created a magical gurney, constructed completely of green ethernano. “We’re going to move you now. No need to panic.” She nodded to the other doctors and, together, they eased him onto the gurney.

“Let’s get him to the healing chamber immediately.” the other woman told Doctor Wanda, earning her a nod. “Follow me, please.” she asked the rest of the party, as the group of doctors escorted Mythal through the doorway and down the hallway. The dark woman led the group right behind them, her boots clicking loudly down the length of the passage. “We’ll answer the many questions you have once we have Mythal stabilized. Saving is life takes precedence over curiosity,” the woman explained to the group, her voice calm despite the situation. She understood there was a lot to question but considering the situation, playing twenty questions was far from the highest priority. She turned enough to look at Gren, a visible sign of concern flashing over her features. “Gren, what happened to your face?”

“Ah, one of the Sons got a lucky shot in,” Gren said.

"More like they almost cut his fucking face right off,” Monica clarified.

“Then you will require healing as well.”

“Please, Queen Zifu, focus on Mythal. I don’t--” Gren started to protest.

“Agent Ragnos, we have more than enough healing specialists here to tend to both Director Ragnos and yourself. We are perfectly capable of taking care of your son and you as well. You know what the Master says -- we do not trade lives, we save them.” Zifu spoke to Gren with the authority that came with the title of queen. Her words, while stern, were considerate to the man’s emotional plight but unbending in their resolve.

Gren’s protests came to a quick stop. “Yes ma’am.” And that was the end of that.

They turned down another hallway. As they continued to walk, Zifu turned her left arm over and revealed a small, iron wristband. She pressed her finger against it and a small green light lit up. “Darling, I’m sure you’ve heard the alarms by now.”

No answer. Absolute silence. Then Zifu spoke again. “Yes, Faera has made a move on Mythal. We have him here now, along with Lady Sinclair, Vandrad Ragnos and Mercury Arseneault. They were present when the attack began.”

Once more there was silence, as the communication continued through unseen means. “Understood. We’ll see you shortly.” She then pulled her hand away. “The Master of the Order will be joining us. This isn’t exactly how he wished to reintroduce himself to Mythal but it seems matters have been taken from our hands.”

They turned into a laboratory, carved out of the stonework with sleek, polished panels of granite. Magical equipment lined the room on every side and a single bed lay in the center of the room. This is where Mythal was brought to, the doctors helping him to slide over onto the thin but oddly comfortable set of pillows. Once there, the doctors spread out to the different machines and began running diagnostics. Doctor Wanda remained at Mythal’s side. “Director, we’re going to need to remove your shirt so that we can attach these nodes. They’ll help give us an accurate reading of your magical signature as well as your vitals,” she explained, holding up the small sticky circles.

“Uh… sure,” Mythal said, glancing around. Now that they had his permission, one of the other male doctors came over and pressed his hand against the Darkness King’s chest. He pulled the hand back after a moment and quite literally phased the shirt off of Mythal and into his hand. He took it off to the side and hung it up on a hanger on one of the far walls. Doctor Wanda started placing the nodes on his chest as the Darkness Slayer looked around still. This was honestly more confusing than the attack he had just been going through. But frankly, whatever magic this Wanda used had worked. His vision was practically back to perfect and his head wasn’t throbbing as much. He still felt heavy but that was nothing compared to having his head in a vice. If anything, he was just tired and wanted to sleep now.

“How is he?” a new masculine voice came from the doorway. Should anyone turn to look, they would find themselves staring at a tall, muscular man who looked a bit roughed up, with some bruises adorning his body. He looked about as chiseled as Vandrad was but easily stood at six and a half feet tall. Short, spiky blond hair covered his head and as he got closer, a noticeable scar over his left eye became more obvious, though that barely took away from the piercing teal eyes he possessed. He walked right up to Mythal and, despite the situation, he smiled. “Hello old friend. It’s been a couple of years.”

Mythal was stunned. The face had aged after nearly twenty years and he was larger in all aspects but the Darkness King saw a familiar face. One he had nearly forgotten about after all this time.

“Chishan?”

Mythal didn’t know what to make of what was going on. Frankly, the last couple minutes in his home had been a blur. A painful one that had sucked all of his energy out and left him barely clinging to consciousness. He remembered Lux appearing and saying something and then Gren was there and after that, the strangest sensation of being trapped in some kind of tube. Then they were in a dark, dank cave and he suddenly started to feel better. His energy returned, enough to give him mindful clarity and clear vision. Serilda had explained that Gren had taken them to the Order -- he assumed the group that the former Knight was working with. She continued, saying that Faera was in the midst of an attack on him that was taking place internally. Apparently Lux had appeared to paint quite the visual image of what was compiling within him. Well, it wasn’t the way he wanted to meet these people but it seemed he didn’t have much choice.

A fair number of new faces appeared, seeking to aid him. Serilda had held him pretty tightly, almost unwilling to let any of them touch him. But as her gaze turned to Gren, she would find him returning the stare and after a moment, giving her a soft nod. The older man firmly believed that letting the group of medical professionals take a look at Mythal would provide some answers and give them a starting place to build off of. After a short bit of consideration, Serilda granted them permission and soon he was surrounded by doctors, using their magic to analyze him and stabilize him. One of them, a Doctor Wanda, used her magic to revitalize his system, giving his body just a bit more energy so that he could truly focus on what was going on. He was hoisted onto a gurney and then wheeled through a hallway, followed by the people he knew and flanked by ones he didn’t. The dark skinned woman explained that questions could wait for later, once Mythal had been tended to. Too bad -- he certainly felt all this time walking in silence could be used to get some quality answers.

The woman, named Zifu, spoke to someone through a wristband and informed everyone that the Master would be arriving to meet them soon. What was interesting was that she phrased it as a reintroduction… was it someone he knew? Frankly, the Darkness King couldn’t think of a single person in his life that would keep such a lofty secret. Then again, if anyone was truly good at keeping secrets, they wouldn’t give off that feeling. He should have gone around asking people if they were part of the Order -- at least then he would know if they were lying or not. Soon enough he was rolled into a medical chamber and set upon a bed. One of the doctors removed his shirt with his permission and then he was peppered with small nodes that were sticky and cold against his skin. It wasn’t that much longer before a man entered and came up to him, a familiar face that he couldn’t quite place until he was over him completely.

“Chishan, how… how are you alive? I thought you had died.” Mythal asked, bewildered as he looked the man over.

“I almost did. But thanks to your efforts, I managed to survive,” the blond man explained, continuing to smile.

“But I saw you lyin’ there. There was blood everywhere. How…?”

“Not sure myself. All I remember is the attack and you coming in to try and save us. When I woke up, I was in a hospital in Minstrel. Got an obvious reminder for it too,” he said, gesturing to the scar. Chishan sighed. “I had hoped we’d go about this under better circumstances.”

It was then that Vandrad decided to speak up, interrupting the moment by insisting it was neither the place nor the time for idle chatter. He wanted to know as many details as possible; he wished to know what was wrong with Mythal, where they were and who all of the extra people were. Though Gren tried to disarm the man’s sharp words -- and did, to a point -- the prince hadn’t missed the words spoken about Serilda’s distrust. Because of that, he wanted to know why they had thrown Mythal’s livelihood into their hands and what that made them. The Darkness Slayer looked over to Serilda, just as she turned her attention to him. Silently they spoke to one another, realizing that they had come as far as possible withholding Mythal’s past from Mercury and Vandrad. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the two of them with it -- it wasn’t like it gave anyone a great advantage over him. It was simply because he was private and his life before meeting Serilda was a bit of a sore subject for him. But simply beating around the bush or trying to explain around it would just be insulting at this point. Mythal inhaled briefly and then nodded to Serilda, giving her the go ahead.

Serilda admitted that she didn’t trust the Order, which earned no reaction out of its members, even as she met Chishan and Zifu’s gazes. But she explained that she trusted Gren’s opinion and, given Mythal’s magic and history, it was hard to find people that could truly offer him help. After another questioning look to Mythal that got another nod, the Voidwalker turned to Vandrad and Mercury and regaled them with the short version of his past. While it wasn’t every detail under the sun, it provided enough context for the two of them to build their own understanding of why they had been forced to come here. It didn’t make things any easier but there wasn’t much they could do about that now anyways.

With the explanation delivered, Serilda turned her attention back to Chishan, taking on her royal poise. It was clear her misgivings about the organization had been brewing in the back of her mind but frankly, the fact that Chishan knew Mythal so well seemed to have struck a deeper chord. She made it a point to question the fact that such an old connection came with the right to invade a person’s private life and watch them from afar. She admitted that she was possibly out of her zone but she believed that having a previous friendship and the existence of the Order and its motives made the matter worse rather than better. She’d already had strong opinions of their actions and it seemed to have been extrapolated thanks to the revelation. Facts and comments that would certainly have bothered most people and most likely earned sharp words as comebacks. After all, no one liked being put on the spot and being accused of acting with bad intentions.

Chishan, however, was not most people. He acknowledged Serilda’s words and nodded softly. “With all due respect, Lady Sinclair, we’ve actively sought not to invade Mythal or your privacy. There was a time in our history where we intervened and installed members within organizations to seek out corruption but that was a long time, before I was asked to take charge. We simply keep tabs on people of interest, especially ones that have had interactions with hostile celestial beings. We seek to root out plots by investigating the ones that are planning, not the targets. It feels less creepy that way,” he admitted with a small laugh. “But I understand why our being a secret organization can raise red flags. In your shoes, I’d feel the same way. And as much as I’d like to bring our actions and goals to the forefront of the world, it would be disastrous for the entire planet. You see, the Order of Souls was created a long time ago, way back when gods and demons ruled the planet with an iron fist. Humans were mere playthings to them; to be used and sacrificed for entertainment and nothing else. The Order was established to push back, to try and save humanity before it was wiped out. We succeeded and then we were betrayed and nearly destroyed. It’s the fact that most gods and demons believe we were wiped out that works to our advantage.”

“But we try and stay out of people’s lives as much as possible. The fact that we brought Gren back was an extraordinary circumstance and the fact that I’ve personally been keeping an eye on Mythal is my own personal way of repaying him. About thirteen years ago, my home village was attacked. A group of bandits decided that our existence was too insulting to bear and burned everything and everyone to the ground. Mythal happened to be there and did what he could to try and save as many people as possible. He’d been staying in town for a couple of weeks by then and we’d seen each other around. He did not like talking to people, especially a snot-nosed fifteen year old like me.” Chishan chuckled, glancing back at Mythal. “But his efforts saved my life. It’s why I dedicated my life to protecting others. It’s how I eventually became part of the Order. And once I’d learned about the actions of the Sons of Faera and the child that came from it, I knew I had to do what I could to help Mythal in any way possible.”

Chishan held up his hands. “I’m not trying to earn your trust right off the bat -- I know it’s not that easy. I just want you to understand that we don’t have agents following your every move or watching you from afar. We only take down additional information if we learn something else from another source and then simply verify it from afar. Hell, the only reason that we even learned Mercury’s name was through the Sorcerer Magazine’s most recent issue. Before that we just called her the lavender haired beauty. All we knew was that she was a friend of Vandrad’s and we only knew that much because Gren told us. Otherwise, we stay out -- we know you guys are perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves.” He turned his gaze back to Serilda. “Now I’m sure you have plenty of questions. Since Mythal is stable at the moment, now is as good a time to ask. I’ll answer what I can but also understand there are confidential pieces of information I can’t disclose. I can’t put any of my people in danger.”

Mythal was expecting that, like most people, Chishan would be cowed by Serilda’s tone. He’d seen people much more influential than the Master of the Order bite their tongue and revisit their strategy when they were confronted with the hard stare and sharp voice that came from being a noble. But rather than backdown and attempt some kind of apology, Chishan simply turned to the Voidwalker and offered her an explanation. He didn’t seek to be a part of Mythal and Serilda’s life anymore than they already had. They simply watched to observe every so often and make sure that the people they had taken note of didn’t come under attack. They apparently didn’t gain much by investigating the targets of plots, when their focus should be on the predators. He even admitted that doing the reverse would feel a bit creepy, chuckling at the amusement of it. He was lighthearted and sincere, though that did little for influencing Serilda one way or the other. Chishan offered an explanation to why they had worked within the shadows for so long. Apparently they had been established back in primitive times, as a guard against the gods and demons that aimed to use and abuse humans. They had succeeded in fighting back but, in doing so, left themselves open to attack from within. They had nearly been brought to extinction, save for a few members. After that, they had built themselves up in secret and simply ran in conjunction with the evolution of man, carrying out their mission while remaining quiet.

Normally they stayed out of people’s lives but Mythal had been someone Chishan directly wanted to aid. Bringing back Gren had simply been a part of that, a key to helping to personalize the protection of Mythal throughout the years. Chishan explained the history between himself and Mythal a bit, wrapping up what had truly been a traumatic experience in a few words. Considering that Chish had almost died at the hands of blades of bandits, he had expected the story to hit a bit harder for the larger man. But he took it in stride, even finding humor in how annoying he had been back when he was younger. It managed to make even Mythal crack a small, tired grin. “A goddamn brat that wouldn’t leave me alone. I was ‘bout ready to wring your neck,” he admitted.

Apparently that event had shaped Chishan’s life and from then on, he had sought to protect others from the dangers of the world. That path had led him to the Order of Souls and eventually brought him back to Mythal upon discovering the connection with Faera. After that, he knew he had to offer aid to his old friend. But he knew that a flowery story wasn’t going to gain immediate trust -- it was clear he understood that trust was earned through actions. He simply wanted to clear the air so they wouldn’t feel like their lives had been invaded, chronicled and observed twenty four seven. He casually mentioned that they hadn’t even known Mercury’s name until the most recent issue of the Mage Magazine or whatever it was had come out, though he added they had taken to calling her a lavender haired beauty. Even Mythal had to question the obscurity of such a description within an organization… but then again the Rune Knights employed the likes of Lilith and her methods were rather unorthodox as well. Mercury got a kick out of it and used it as a means to further tease Vandrad.

Overall, they sought to keep themselves as far away from people’s personal lives as possible, given the circumstances. With Chishan’s explanation out of the way, he opened the floor to questions. Understandably, there was little doubt that all of them had plenty of things to ask but it was the Silver Wolf mage that spoke up first, directing her attention away from the Master of the Order and back to the point of Lux. He hadn’t gone with them once they had warped to the cave and his appearance in the house had shaken Mercury and Vandrad’s curiosity arguably more than anything else -- if only because they lacked an explanation.

Mythal took a moment to look at Serilda and give her a silent acknowledgement that Chishan’s words had been true throughout the story. There hadn’t been a speck of a lie within his explanation, which was saying something considering the intent of their organization. The Voidwalker took a moment to consider with Victoria as the odd couple put forth their questions, asking the old hag what she knew about what was going on. Mythal wouldn’t get to hear what she said until later so all he could do was trust that Serilda was verifying the Order’s story from a second source. But the question of Lux drew her attention back to the current situation and realizing that not explaining him would certainly earn scrutiny and suspicion, the Field Marshall sighed. Indeed, even Mythal was shaking his head softly, understanding that the particular subject of the Seals would have been better left unsaid but… they couldn’t exactly blame Mercury and Vandrad for wanting to know more. Serilda apologized to him and he shrugged. “Ain’t much we can do about it now.”

That earned quite a few looks from the members of the Order, including Chishan. Serilda finally managed to relax as she got right to the meat of the issue. Rather than beat around the bush and lead into the topic, she presented it fully for everyone to hear. She gave them Lux’s name and what he was and how he was connected to Mythal. Zifu looked downright shaken. “You’re telling me that Lux is here, right now and he is attached to Mythal?” she asked again. It was a rhetorical question of course but the weight of such a devastating delivery was almost unbelievable. She turned her gaze to Chishan. “If Faera realizes…”

“I know,” Chishan said calmly, waving a hand gently to her. It was clear that Serilda had more to speak on the matter and the Master wanted to hear more. And indeed, the Voidwalker went on to say that Lux had been missing some time, detached from the present as it seemed Lux and Mythal had a tumultuous relationship. She put a lot of weight behind the fact that the Lightbringer had revealed himself suddenly, owing most of her fear to that emergence. But whatever was happening was surely putting Lux at risk too and if he said something was dark, that held a lot of weight.

Serilda suddenly turned to Vandrad, wanting to know more on the fact that he had so easily grabbed Lux when the only other people that had managed that task were Mythal and the wolves. The prince offered a brief explanation of his magic, called Energy Monarch, and how it allowed him control over most, if not all, elements tied to ethernano. Incorporeal beings apparently were something he was used to tussling with. “Makes sense,” Chishan said with a soft nod. “Your magic is rare and powerful. We’ve seen instances of it before -- we even thought Gren may have had access to it.”

“Not me. He musta got that from his mother,” Gren spoke up, having finally stepped up to the group. His wound had been treated but there was little doubt he’d be sporting a long jagged scar, not unlike Chishan’s over his eye.

The Master opted not to remark on that, instead turning to Mythal. “How long has Lux been with you?” he asked softly.

Mythal shrugged. “About two years now or so. Shortly after our dalliance in Kingdom Darkness, he appeared durin’ one of our missions. He was continuin’ to be a pain in my ass until some shit went down with a dark mage. We had an issue and he decided to run and hide. He’d been AWOL ever since.” He glanced at Zifu before looking back to Chishan. “Why? What’s the matter?”

“The Seals are… a high tier focus for the Order. Given that they are meant to bring about the apocalypse, they obviously grabbed our interest. That event hasn’t come to pass but we still keep an eye out for Seal-related events. There have been times in the past where the Seal has overtaken the host and caused devastation.” Chishan explained sadly. “But, considering that you apparently have him on a leash, I don’t think we have to worry about that.”

“But if Faera comes to understand that you have a Seal or, worse yet, takes control of you, she will be able to take control of him. She would become far worse than she ever was before,” Zifu cut in, explaining the matter with substantial more concern. “It was imperative we made sure you survived before, Director Ragnos. Now it is doubly important.”

“Yeah, not gonna lie, that sounds like a fuckin’ tragedy waitin’ to happen,” Mythal admitted, leaning back and sighing.

As the conversation had gone on, Monica had been glancing over at Mercury every couple of minutes, basically observing how she reacted to the current landscape of the situation. She had now made it a point to come over and lean on the wall beside her, eyes forward but attention clearly anything but. "Hey,” she said, giving the Silver Wolf mage a nod of the head. "I know I introduced myself before but… I’m Monica. You’re the lavender haired beauty and damn, if they didn’t get that right,” the tattooed woman said, taking the time to very obviously look Mercury over. "I get the feelin’ that you’re on my level so I just wanted to come and share a thought with you. Is it just me or is there a ridiculous amount of attractiveness in this room? Like I should be concerned about this whole Mythal bein’ attacked thing and I am but damnit if I can’t help but be a little aroused by all the hot people. What’s the story with uh, short, dark and attractive on your arm there? He looks like he can give one hell of a poundin’.”

The truly terrifying fact was that they didn’t really know what could happen with Faera and Lux. Zifu was just speculating but based on the fact that Mythal had been getting significantly sicker and weaker had sparked something of a memory in her. Even as she theorized on it, she was walking away from the group to look over the shoulder of Doctor Wanda, looking at the screen. As she watched the readings appearing on the monitor she nodded softly, pointing at some of the data. Doctor Wanda nodded along with her, a solemn notion that certainly didn’t spell good news. That wasn’t good and Mythal knew it. Serilda spoke up, suddenly realizing the implications of Faera trying to wrest control of Mythal’s body and Lux and questioning it. As far as she believed, the soul that was joined to the Seal had to still exist for the Seal to so if it perished, then the Seal would go into remission until another in the family line was created that fit the right requirements. “Except Faera isn’t trying to kill Mythal. She is trying to merge their souls together,” the Queen explained as she took a printout of the screen and walked it over for Serilda to look over.

It was a lot of highly detailed medical and magical readouts, analyzing Mythal’s bodily data. In truth, it wasn’t easy to decipher but Zifu pointed to a specific measurement -- something indicated as the Spirit Durability. And the percentage was reading at just under eighty percent. “Analyzing a person’s soul is not an easy thing to do for any machine -- even those with magical abilities find it complicated, so you can imagine what it is like to crunch all that information into numbers. Over the years we’ve managed to extract information and create an algorithm that analyzes a soul’s strength, meaning how connected it is with a person’s body. Believe it or not, it is quite possible to dwindle one’s soul through the means of corruption or actions taken by the person’s body. There’s even monsters out there that can simply eat the soul and leave an empty husk in the aftermath. I know this sounds off topic but I am getting to a point.”

“Several years ago, my country was attacked by a crazed god. Much like Faera, he was seeking to raze the world but instead of conquering it, he simply wanted to burn it to its core. But his current form was deteriorating so he captured several of my people and performed a dark and damning ritual. Essentially he weakened their soul until it was nothing but embers and then merged it with his. By doing this, he was able to absorb their abilities and magic into himself, making him all the stronger and scarier. It also drove him crazier, as the spiritual echoes of the soul remained behind and certainly haunted him after. It was only after he had been destroyed by the Order of Souls and I joined their ranks that I researched the instance myself. There are several spells like it and no doubt, someone as powerful and influential as Faera would be capable of enacting a similar ritual from the realm of Kingdom Darkness. Mythal’s sickness indicates that his soul and body are being attacked at the same time, the latter being weakened so that the former started to dwindle. Once his soul has been brought to its barest limits, Faera will take it over and absorb it fully into herself. She will attain everything that Mythal has -- including his connection to Lux.”

“And as such, she would have command over whatever abilities Lux controls. Faera would become a goddess of darkness and light, mixing the elements and giving her almost unstoppable power,” Chishan finished, his brow furrowed in concern. He had a feeling that something like this was happening but the revelation that a Seal was within Mythal made the situation all the more precarious. “Do we know the exact spell she’s using? There might be a weakness we can utilize from here.”

“We’re compiling all of the information we can on the alien magic power within Direct Ragnos but we have nothing on file to identify it apart from his normal magic. Once the scans are complete, we’ll be able to match magical wavelengths and figure out which is the anomaly and locate it in our databases.” Dr Wanda spoke up, explaining the science coolly and smoothly. “For now, our magical enchantments are slowing the progress by one hundred and twenty five percent. The deterioration on Mythal’s soul was reversed a large portion and is happening much slower than before. But it only bought us a few days, at maximum, and that’s counting that Faera doesn’t counter our efforts and overcome the barriers.”

“If there’s somethin’ blockin’ her, she’ll try an’ find a way around it. She’s crafty,” Mythal said with a shake of his head. Serilda stated a rather simple concern but her voice was rife with a tense unease. She started to pace in the empty space in front of her, her thoughts running wild as she tried to think of a quick and decisive strategy. Mythal was sure that she was bouncing ideas off of Victoria.

Chishan and Zifu observed the Field Marshall walking but chose to let her do what she had to. Telling her what to do seemed to be the worst possible action right now. The least they could do is offer some insight to alleviate the stress. “The good news, if we can call it that, is that at the most, Mythal has a handful of days. Even if Faera enacts a method to bypass our current protections, we have several other layers to activate to slow her. And our scans won’t take very long, at most an hour from now we’ll know what magic is her’s and we can use that to identify the spell. From there, it’s just about locating a useful counter spell.”

“Unfortunately, that means you can’t leave the premises until we’ve come up with a strategy and plan. Hope you didn’t have any plans for the next couple of days,” Chishan turned to face Mythal, offering him a half-hearted smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“A few but nothin’ I can’t put off. Though ya might need to get more comfortable pillows if yer plannin’ on havin’ me sleep here,” Mythal said, patting one of the pillows. He was about to make another comment when Serilda came to an abrupt stop, having finished her train of thought. For a long, stressful beat she stood still, finalizing whatever stray grievances she might have had. Then slowly she turned to face him and the look the Darkness King saw sent a horrified chill down his spine. It was the look of a woman who had decided her mission, one that had come up with a plan that she couldn’t debate or delay on. And in the back of his mind, even in the deepest thresholds of his heart, he already had a feeling he knew what she was going to do.

She moment she called for Ruzatz, he was trying to push himself up from the bed. “Serilda, you are not doin’ what I think yer doin’,” he stated quickly as he got to his feet, finding himself woozy and taking hold of the bed to steady himself. But even before the rest of the group could consider what the hell was going on, a pink and red line of magic cut into the air and swirled open, creating a pulsating portal.

From it emerged a half-naked man. He would have been full naked but he was very quickly tying what looked like a woman’s pink kimono around his waist to cover up and make himself halfway decent. He was an obnoxiously handsome man, with short red hair as deep red as blood. Several tattoos adorned his well built chest, especially one large one that ran from the middle of his pecs down over his abs and underneath the hem of the kimono. There would be a sweet and almost tantalizing aroma in the air the moment he stepped through, raising everyone’s blood pressure a few ticks. Luckily the Prime Sin of Lust was able to pull in his magic before it affected people too quickly, especially since it was Serilda that had called him.

“The lady calls and I come. Hah! Get it? I do hope that needful tinge I heard in your voice means that you and Mythal have considered my offer and -- whoa, where am I? Who are all these people?” Ruzatz was almost completely locked onto Serilda with the swagger he usually exerted before pausing and looking around. He blinked a few times as he stared at the unfamiliar faces and then switched back to the two familiar ones… wait three familiar ones! “Mon!”

"Well if it isn’t my favorite dick of all time,” Monica said, a shit-eating grin crossing her face. She held up a hand to Mercury to put a pause on their conversation before she raced over to Ruzatz and threw herself at him, planting a large and passionate kiss on him.

They wrestled with each other’s mouths for a moment before parting, the tattooed woman giving him a punch in the chest. "What are you doin’ here? Better yet, where’s my wife?”

“Oh she’s… through the portal. Honey, leave Madelyn and Tommy alone for a minute. I think you might want to see this,” Ruzatz called back into the portal as he continued to look around. “Am I at a model convention or something? There are a lot of beautiful people here. Also sorry about that burst of magic when I came through -- I was in the middle of entertaining a couple with my wife and was utilizing my abilities. Don’t worry, just think of a cold shower and everything will be fine. Who are you two?” Ruzatz locked his eyes onto Zifu and Wanda, his charming grin starting to pull onto his face.

But before he could start laying on his usual charm thick and heavy, Mythal broke the oddly circus-like affair by yelling out to the Prime Sin. “Ruzatz! Do not open the portal to Kingdom Darkness and do not let Seri go through!”

If anyone wasn’t sure what Serilda’s plan was yet, it was all out in the open right then and there. Ruzatz was almost completely forgotten by the members of the Order as they turned to Serilda and, all at once, started to talk over one another in an attempt to tell her just how bad of an idea that was. Her anger and royal stance be damned, they knew that such a task was paramount to a suicide mission and they weren’t going to simply let her rush through without talking it over. Chishan and Zifu tried to explain, all at once, that they had time and if this was the best method,  they would coordinate with her but they couldn’t have anyone running in lone wolf style. She certainly looked ready for war, with her weapons drawn and her intent sharp and clear.

But ironically, it was Ruzatz that broke the yelling by putting his fingers in his mouth and releasing a sharp whistle. All at once the room fell silent as he glanced around, his humorous and jovial mood gone and replaced with something more sober and serious. “Let’s all take a moment and take a breath, okay?” he told everyone, making sure to look at each individual face so that they understood him clearly. After he had done that, he focused on Serilda. “Serilda, I don’t know what’s going on here. I’m going to guess that these guys are… probably with the Order of Souls, considering Monica is here. And I’m not sure what you want with going back to Kingdom Darkness but I imagine it isn’t anything good. But even if I was willing to send you back there, I couldn’t. That trick I pulled the last time to get you there was my one trick shot. No doubt Faera knows that I was the one that broke through her defenses and has filled in the gap that I used. I wouldn’t be able to find another one in the next decade, let alone as quickly as you’d want one. I’m sorry but getting to Kingdom Darkness without permission is a no go.” He made sure to explain himself carefully and slowly, wanting her to truly hear the words he was saying. Even he could tell the look in her eye wasn’t the same glimmer that usually lived in her bright blues. “Now how about you tell me what’s going on and I can see what other way I can help?”