Harlan hummed as he walked through the gate back to the Sectlands.

The details of the visit were kept brief, as Emilee wasn’t allowed to say much.

He was brought to a large temple and aviary in a carriage drawn by Oxen.

“Fitting for a group named after a bird.”

Emilee spoke in a hushed tone.

“Please stay quiet until you reach Grandmaster Crane.”

The grandmaster was an older man with a long full beard and long white hair, both well groomed and braided in such a way to appear feathered; a dyed streak down the center gave an appearance of a beak.

His robe, unlike the wives and husbands of the sect, was not fine silk, and rather he wore only a simple gi like a student, but with a cloak made from the feathers of a crane.

Harlan could only think of the cloaks of twigs and leaves soldiers would sometimes employ as camouflage.

He waved Harlan over to the center of the dark room lit only by candles around the edges of it and one in the center of the table between them.

In the back was a giant bronze statue of a crane.

Harlan sat on his knees as was standard for these people.

“My student tells me that you have come with threats.”

“That is a misunderstanding of what I said, and I did clarify that I didn’t want to turn to threats.

She brought you the charter, yes?”

“I have read this.”

The grandmaster then burned it.

“If you wish to change the Sectlands, you must be a grandmaster. The people here would not follow you even should you slaughter them down to our last.”

“I don’t want to kill anyone if it can be avoided.”

“I do not disagree with these requests of yours, and my sect may adopt these policies should you find the alleged imposter and you provide open trade between us. But we cannot be forced to change by an outsider.”

“Then you expect me to set up a sect?”

“This is what I expect. I offer one section to you, build a temple in the south, beyond my land, and begin to train your students. But, you will be required to form a ki technique that is unlike the others.”

He raised his hand and another woman came by with a scroll, detailing the other four sects in power at the moment.

The Carp, who through meditation would turn dark of skin and hard of flesh, achieving scale like defense.

The Snake, whose bones seemed to be more an idea than a part of them.

The Mouse, who one could look at and yet not see.

The Crane, who could stand on air and strike from a range or dive from above.

And lastly, the Phoenix, whose bodies burned with heat, and were it not for their advanced healing techniques, they would be unable to maintain the intense power that they held.

Harlan looked at these things and figured out fairly quickly how they worked.

“Fire imbibing, probably light too for the Phoenixes. Mouse is probably using dark imbibing and some other techniques. Snakes are water. Carps use earth, which is ironic, since they chose a fish.”

“Do not presume to know the power of the sects.”

Harlan rolled up his sleeve, and his skin turned black as wrought iron, then he made it a feverish red with fire imbibing, followed by the double jointed movement granted by water.

“I can figure out something for my Sect of the Dragon then.”

The old man scoffed.

“To take the name of a great beast will only invite great expectations.”

“Then I will match them. I’ve already had my people check out the cities here, and the sects.

There aren’t enough issues I have with how you people run things that I think that violence is needed, so I will wait until the sect tournament, become a member of your society, and then change things as needed.”

“Pride has been the undoing of many men.”

“And a dragon is defined in part by that part of them, wyverns with their territorial nature, drakes with their stubborn refusal to move out of the way of anything. Wyrms and Wurms are no different from their kin.”

“The freedom of flight does grant a certain feeling in people, and in beasts.”

“Perhaps.”

It took a few weeks to get the walls built, since there were requirements in how they were constructed so they matched each other set of walls.

Not that Harlan was there for any of it.

He left an Other in charge of running his sect.

The only real thing he did was create the technique that would be for the sect.

A simple combination of earth and fire imbibing would make his body hard like scales, and also hot.

Then a ki, or rather, an aura technique focused on the throat would let them vent the heat by shooting it out, solving the issue of how to safely use fire imbibing along with earth for an extended period of time.

The worry for Harlan was if he could teach students to do this in the two years he had before the next tournament.

But if not, then it would only be another two years before the next one.

What Harlan instead focused on was simply making sure that the stripe that should be under his control remained like that, and of course, he needed to make a weapon fitting for the king of Goliaths.

A few revolts were put down by the marshalls, and the blade he gave Romulus was a single edged machete, with the explanation he gave was that it was a tool, but in times of combat, would work to hack off limbs; it was made from his bones; he forgot how much it hurt.

So, when his better half called for help, he relished the chance.

He was… less thrilled when he heard that he wanted help building a castle.

“What happened to the house that was here?”

“How did you know about it? I started repairing that after Haldren.”

“It was mentioned to me by Xol during training.”

“Oh. Xol is training you?”

“My question.”

“It was burned down. Adina has been taking it kinda rough.”

“I resent you. Not because you have Adina, but because you are so weak.”

“What?”

“I have spent the better half of an entire year fighting, killing, always growing stronger.

You’ve grown soft, the gap between us has grown vast because of what I’ve had to do.”

“Don’t make it sounds like I’ve done nothing with my time. The war has grown worse, but Rosewell won’t let me get out there.”

“Why would she deny you?”

“Because a ghost is haunting her and she’s worried that I’ll have fun going against him.

That and our morals mean he can use others against me.”

“Our morals? Or yours? I’ve changed in more than just power-”

A block slipped, the giant white stone with stonesteel rebar fell 80 feet, and while the Harlan jumped out of the way, King Fomoria challenged the block, using aura technique along with imbibing and telekinesis to safely grab the block and redirect the force into the ground, making a crater instead of burying him.

“Are you alright?”

King Fomoria passed the block off to one of the construction golems he brought with him.

“As I was saying, I’ve changed in more than just power. If she would be willing to accept it, I may have a man devoid of morals who I could lend her to handle this ghost.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Harlan called Rosewell, who was annoyed that Harlan kept bothering her, but she then became interested in this man beyond the veil, this unknown killer under King Fomoria’s command.

She was less happy when D’if couldn’t stop staring at her breasts.

Harlan kicked him in the back of the knee.

“My king, you never said she was such a beautiful young woman.”

“You intend to give me a lecher?”

“The way Harlan explained it, you need a bastard who would do anything it takes to get your ghost.

Put D’if under Balor or Dahlia, and he’d do anything you asked without question.”

“Harlan… King Fomoria, you’ve not given me a reason why I should accept this man.”

“D’if, you may list three crimes, and I’ll pardon you for them.”

“I poisoned a village water supply, killing everyone. Killed some bastards still in the crib. And… I think you wouldn’t pardon me for what I did to one woman under orders.”

Harlan gave a kidney punch.

“Fuck.”

“You are now pardoned, but you’re right, if you actually explained, I’d probably kill you.

Yggdra, I think he could be helpful, he has almost a century of experience as a spy and assassin.”

“Do his people age slowly?”

“No, he was elderly when I found him, and I made him young again.”

Rosewell tapped on her throne.

“Fine, but don’t you need him if he is your spymaster?”

“I have dozens of him. Though it will be a shame when they die of old age.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“In Ragne, making copies of yourself or others my splitting the soul is a crime punishable by death, it isn’t in my country. Not that anyone else could do it but me. I’ve got dozens of other me’s running around out there as well to run my country.”

They spoke a little more about his country, and of D’if, then Harlan left.

But, outside, his father was waiting for him.

“You got big.”

Harlan averted his eyes.

“Come, let’s get some tea, your mother is waiting.”

Harlow hadn’t been strong enough to pull Harlan anywhere since he was 13 or so, but Harlan never had the strength to stop his father.

He looked at everything around him.

His time outside the veil distorted his view on how big there should be.

Even the Faun, the closest to humans outside of actual humans, were taller on average.

The cup in his hand looked like it was made for a child, and he towered over everyone.

He downed the tea in a single gulp.

“This place isn’t for me anymore. I do not belong inside the veil any longer.”

“Come on, can’t you just stay? Talk with your parents? How are things out there?”

“Brutal, that is the single word that has most represented my time.

I have killed hundreds of thousands, I have conquered cities, freed slaves. I have seen people sold like cattle, openly murdered in the streets while onlookers do nothing.

I can hardly even imagine anything but that place anymore.”

“You can come back now, I don’t think your father and I would have any problem with having another son.”

“No. I can’t come back.”

“No matter what you’ve done, we can-”

“That isn’t it. I’m not guilty over all the people I’ve killed. I can’t come back because I have people out there who count on my brutality.”

Harlan had a smile on his face.

“Yes, slavers and tyrants. I will kill millions more, and I don’t mind this.”

“Honey, I don’t-”

“Ada, dear, he’s made his choice.”

His father put his hand on Harlan’s arm, he was too tall for him to reach his shoulder.

“Harlan. I can’t understand you, never have, never will, either of you I guess.

But, no matter how you are saying it, I’m sure you’re doing the right thing, and I won’t fault you for that.

Do you have a girl out there?”

Harlan explained everything, meeting Darrath, Viviane, her death, Mercedes.

It was… a lot for his parents to take in.

Harlan lifted the pot, finding it empty.

“I guess we need more tea.”

His parents were still in shocked disbelief.

“I don’t… I don’t mean for you to take this the wrong way, but I think your mother and I have heard enough for today.”

“I understand. A lot has happened.”

Ava stepped into the tearoom and immediately drew her sword on him.

“Who the hell is that?”

“Ah. I can see Harlan didn’t explain my presence to everyone.

Lugh, Ava, it has been some time.”

Harlan’s body had changed, but his voice was almost the same, only slightly deeper.

“Why are you in that weird form?”

“I’m not your Harlan, or, I was. Call me King Fomoria.”

Ava immediately became anxious.

“Don’t make jokes like that, things are already tense enough with all the noblists.”

“No, I mean that I am literally not the Harlan you know.”

She looked to her parents who then explained what he meant.

Ava was left stunned that her parents seemed to understand what happened, since normally when Harlan began talking about magic they were the ones left confused.

Their words about wanting to go to the academy and all of their time learning magic weren’t empty, they wanted to learn to be closer to their children, and they never stopped.

“So this… this Harlan was split off from Harlan, and he’s been living outside of the veil for almost a year?”

“Yes, nothing too hard to understand.”

“And Nemain did this?”

“I suppose so. It could’ve been an accident on her part, but I very much doubt it considering the consequences of this. Is Amber around? What about Autumn? How are the twins?”

“They’re fine, everyone is fine, other than Amber. She’s not happy that she’s being told to stay here again. Something about a bomb, Liat and Sam almost died.”

Harlan crushed the cup of hot tea in his hands.

“Oh, sorry about that. Who is Sam? Amber’s boyfriend? Liat’s?”

“Sam is a girl, she was part of Amber’s squad in her training camp, now she and Liat are part of Amber’s group out in the frontier just helping people and going on adventures.”

“What are you doing? Still working with Breken?”

“I would be if I was allowed to leave the palace. After the academy got attacked we got forced in here for our safety.”

“On the note of safety, I should really head back for just a minute, since communicators can’t pierce the veil. But I’ll be right back.”

Harlan almost hoped that something was happening, but no, other than King Velvet and Mercedes talking with one another, everything was running smoothly.

It was why he split himself so much, but part of that also meant that each and every Harlan was bored.

Other than the one researching Eolgi, that Harlan was always happy to be with his monsters.

When he came back, he found Adina was waiting there in the tearoom with Viviane.

“Hello.”

“I don’t like being ambushed.”

“I just thought you might want to meet Viviane. She can-”

“No. I will be blunt here, seeing her, seeing you, it is painful for me. Perhaps when I find a woman who I want to marry out there I can face you, but I won’t speak with you until then unless you are in danger and require my presence.”

“Please, I just want you to-”

“I am past you, but I cannot ever stop loving you, and I love your daughter, because she is what I should’ve had.

There is simply nothing to be done by you, I must do this on my own.”

Harlan opened a void gate, and while Adina tried to call to him, to make him wait, he stepped through anyway.

Seeing her again stirred him up inside.

He wanted to do something to get his mind off of her, visit a brothel, drink gallons of whisky, kill something.

But no, these would do nothing.

He and Mercedes separated on good terms, but he could feel it, some tinge of anger in her, regret in him.

She was still in with Velvet, and Harlan did wonder what they were speaking about.

They went silent when Harlan entered the room, then resumed in an awkward and clearly not what they were talking about before manner.

“So we’ll get three new beds for-”

Harlan stepped back out.

He didn’t know what they were doing, and it probably didn’t matter.

So he decided to take a nice hot bath.

Harlan was almost ready to sleep in the hot water, but he really wasn’t that tired, since he’d only been up for a few days since his last rest.

But still, he had relaxed enough to not realize someone slipping into the water; Harlan jolted awake to find King Velvet had entered the bath.

“Oh, this is nice, no wonder those Dague always have such nice skin. Maybe I should put these around Velvet?”

“Did you come here just for a bath?”

Velvet got closer to Harlan.

“Can’t I just want to, harden our bonds?”

“That was a bit limp. You should put down a few strokes on paper to freshen your mind.”

“I’m glad you are so confident, most men get all out of shape when I start talking. But you and I, we can go back and forth all day.”

“That one was better. A sign of trust with the Dague is to wash the back of another. I wouldn’t invite any of the kings or queens of conquered cities and nations into my bath, but, as you are here, would you wash my back, and I yours?”

Velvet furrowed his brows, Harlan’s trust of him seemed to come from nowhere, but he did as offered.

When it was time for Harlan to return the favor, he decided to push things a little further.

“As we have shown trust with one another, is there anything you want to admit?”

“Oh? Is that an offer? Well, I must say, I am interested, are you proportional? Or are you just human sized like the Goliath?”

“Why do you put up the facade of a gay man?”

“Now why would I do such a thing? It would be silly to-”

“I won’t reveal it, and if you don’t want to explain, I don’t push it. I was simply curious why.”

Velvet casual and flirty demeanor was gone, his high and feminine voice gave way to his real tone.

“If you need furniture, come to me, but let’s not have this go further than it has already.”

“I do know someone who may want some high quality furniture.”

“Really? Who?”

“The Fae god Nemain cast some magic on my soul that made an exact copy of me without the restrictions of my Others, so inside the veil is another me. He’s building a castle right now, I’m letting him use a lot of my construction golems since he hasn’t had a reason or the flesh resources to actually make hundreds of them.”

“Huh. Well, I’d need to see the rooms, figure out what his aesthetics will be, but I’ll give a good price on them.”

Harlan put his hand out for a shake, and Velvet accepted.

“You seem like a good guy.”

“You as well, King Fomoria.”

They sat there in an awkward silence; Velvet got up from the water and left.

----------------------------------------

The Darkness finally got her judgment, she would return home.