The muscular black-haired man descended the dark, speckled marble steps, clad in crimson-lined dark armor, and donning his shining silver crown. The blazing ball of fire behind him, Sol Duvis, outlined his form with golden light, and to the holy men awaiting him at the bottom, it truly seemed as though Lerin Hel Strovach was indeed the god-prophet of Kenre-Val.

  Each of the fourteen men watched as he descended the stairs, his royal authority emanating from each footstep, crashing over them in waves. A hand clad in various runed rings reached up to sweep some loose hair away from his face, glistening in the light of the Solar Sphere.

  "Well?" An older man dressed in an opulent ochre robe was the first of the captivated assembly to speak up. "Did Sol Duvis share with you a vision?"

  A younger priest in a luxurious azure robe glared daggers at the elder.

  "Do not forget your place!" he shouted. "You will address Val Strovach with respect!"

  The crowned man laughed elegantly, waving a dismissive hand towards the young priest.

  "Fear not, Dante. Elder Mage Seylan may speak freely. And feel not the desire for flattery; it does not suit a man of your status." At the words, Dante bowed his head, hiding his reddened face, and backed away. The ruler turned back to the elder, his smooth face curled into a devilish smile which crinkled his shining emerald eyes.

  "Sol Duvis has granted me sight, returning to me memories of a life I knew not I'd lived." Strovach crossed the wide roof of the ziggurat-like temple the group stood atop, moving to gaze out over the city he'd watched bloom under his predecessor's fist. Thanks to it, he'd developed an eye for the unusual, a gift for deciphering the good that comes from the bad, even when it was absurdly obscured. But even his perceptive sight could not see beyond the cloud surrounding the vision he'd received. "I've witnessed the death of our Solar Sphere."

  Thirteen separate voices cried out at once, shock written across their faces. Even Dante had forgotten himself in the moment, glancing back towards the illuminating orb floating above the temple, horror painting his expression grim.

  Seylan tentatively reached out a hand towards his Val. "What could bring about such a terrible event?"

  Stronach smiled, laughing again. "Fear not, Elder Mage. For the death is not immediate nor is it presently impending. We have ample time for careful preparation. I must meet with the Slayer of Hydras."

  His response seemed to assuage the group, though some of the holy men still chattered amongst themselves fearfully. A mage who'd been silent until now stepped forward.

  "Is this necessary?" Elder Mage Vistrius inquired, his yellow robes, which matched his hair, rippling in the wind. "Wales is... difficult."

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  "Yeah!" Dante shouted. "That idiot almost got me killed last we met!"

  "Dante," Vistrius said to the youngest of them, smirking. "It's not the hero's fault you nearly choked to death on a fishbone."

  "I--!" The azure-robed mage started, before sighing and waving his hand. "Forget it. It's not worth it."

  "Yes, Vistrius," the Val continued, seemingly missing the whole exchange. "It is entirely necessary. From what I can tell, that adventurer will play a central role in the engagement which will lead to the Sphere's demise."

  The yellow-haired mage shook his head, before nodding. "I suppose I can try to contact my nephew to see what he has to say. Though I hear he's currently doing business in King Fakar's territory..."

  "Really?" replied the Val, surprised. "I thought you'd told me of his resolution to never return there after losing a mansion's worth of gold last time."

  The Elder Mage rubbed a hand across his face as he sighed. "Yes, well, apparently he was offered a mansion's worth of gold to return..."

  "I see," came the Val's reply, as he stared out over the city. His silence indicated the holy men were to continue without his input.

  "Perhaps... the adventurer in our city?" Another mage, this one clad in cream-colored robes, suggested.

  "You mean the member of Squall?" Seylan inquired, a doubtful tone in his aged voice. "You wish to request a legend to retrieve a hero?"

  "It's not a bad idea," spoke the Val. "Trevus, your opinion?"

  An onyx-robed mage stepped forward, standing beside the Val as he stroked his trimmed beard thoughtfully.

  "I suppose it could work. Though, we must research the history of the individuals in question before action. It's never wise to pour oil onto a fire, after all. If the adventurer didn't retire here for any adverse reasons... though I suppose that's unlikely..." He continued to stroke his beard as he stood there, staring at a tall building in the distance they all knew to be the inn the member of Squall resided within.

  "The largest difficulty in this endeavor lay not with who is sent to retrieve Wales," the cream-robed mage interrupted. "But rather, ensuring that word does not get out to the Fakarians or our own people that we've sent an envoy over the border."

  All the men nodded at that, and the discussion turned quiet, as each of them mulled over the options, and muttered their thoughts aloud. This continued until they were interrupted by a loud click-clacking noise coming from one of the roof-access doors built into the temple's top.

  "Thought I might find you here, Lerin," a feminine voice called out. "Do you really have nothing better to do than stare at flames?" The priests bristled at the comment as the speaker emerged from the doorway, stalking gracefully atop her diamond stilettos towards the muscular ruler. Dressed in a thin grey silken dress which danced across her flesh, the raven-haired beauty smiled widely as she approached, her perfect smile warming up the cold air around her.

  The Val turned, raising his arms wide. "Staroka! You've returned!"

  The woman smiled again, before accepting his embrace.

  "Come, Lerin," she said, pulling him away from the rest of the group. "You've wasted enough time up here. Your people need you."

  As he was half-dragged away, the Val turned back to the mages. "Get working on it. I want the Hydra Slayer here in Solaria as soon as possible."