Haldren, the city of ash, nobody wanted it to be their city because of superstition.

It was the only city within Ragne that flew the flag of Fomoria over the flag of Ragne, where any Ainites, the, more or less, universally agreed new term that replaced False Undead, could live freely and openly, and where the Dague and Plest lived inside of The Veil.

Adina picked Viviane up.

“When did you sleep last?”

“Two days… but I wasn’t tired last night.”

“I know, I’m sure you weren’t.”

“I want daddy to hold me.”

“Not right now. Daddy is… he’s thinking a lot.”

“Why does that make you sad?”

“Why don’t we find auntie Selen? She and Wulrun should be here.”

“Bye bye daddy.”

Harlan halfheartedly waved before they vanished into the crowds.

The festival, something that was done in Imperial Fomoria, had a few purposes.

Firstly, only a third of the population of the city was from outside of The Veil, meaning the other two thirds were people moving to the city because they were being paid in order to fill it out.

Such a population was going to need to be acclimated to how things worked in the empire.

Secondly, the repairs were finished in all but one place, and the new mayor was showing off how quickly he and his golems had turned it into a beautiful place once more.

Thirdly, there was an open invitation for the nobility of Ragne to see an example of how their new imperial superiors were, how a free city which allowed all people could be.

Lastly, the mayor didn’t want this place to wash away what happened, but to acknowledge what was once here.

Harlan stood in front of a church, a rather rare place since Ragnites didn’t often prescribe to any organized religion; most had been destroyed or repurposed.

It was the one building that was left untouched by the repair efforts; the sideways stalagmites were dulled so they were safe to touch, but otherwise left alone.

He watched as people came and went, lighting candles and placing them on the floor, the pews, the windowsills, anywhere that they could.

Many cried as they left, each candle was given out without cost, each candle a sign of a loved one that was lost when Haldren was destroyed.

The mayor stepped next to Harlan.

He couldn’t get over how alike they looked, but also how much he had changed himself so he wasn’t just another Other of Fomoria.

His clothes weren’t in the style of Ragne, but rather fine silk robes which were brightly designed with black dragons on a red background and a white trim.

The horns, what Harlan thought was the most significant difference between he and his other half, now stretched back rather than up, and looked closer to pieces of coral antlers than horns.

“I wasn’t certain you would come to Unity Day. Do you know what this place is?”

“A remembrance of sin.”

“No, a temple of wrath. I make no shadow of what my original self has done. This is my mistake, our mistake. We gave ourselves to rage, we failed to understand the consequences, and other people paid for that fault. Here, they may remember this, that I don’t intend to forget that, nor do I intend to repeat that.”

“But he did. You did.”

“The circumstances were different. What happened to that city wasn’t a mistake or an accident, it was a cold brutality of war.

Go, enjoy the festival with your family, don’t spend your night in this place of sorrow.”

A woman in robes not unlike Dairon’s, but more form fitting, showing off the bump on her stomach, linked her arm with his.

“Oh. I see the resemblance. But how strange that he doesn’t look quite like Fomoria.”

“Who is this?”

“My wife, Corda.”

Harlan was taken aback.

He only knew of Darion from Ava, since she had received some lessons on aura techniques from the man, but didn’t realize how much he was really allowed to live a life.

“I thought Fomoria wouldn’t-”

“We are our own people. Not all Others wish to do what I’ve done, almost none of them really. I am one of two who have taken a name. Though, for all I know, the other is gone. Last I heard he was exploring under Aarde with his research team, but we lost contact months ago.

Regardless, find your wife and child, don’t be stuck in a mire of sorrow.”

Harlan walked through the city, heading for Adina and Viviane.

He hadn’t been out of the forge in weeks, there was little sense in wasting his time mourning for what he had already mourned for.

Harlan walked from between the stalls and found Viviane was riding on Wulrun, her small hands tightly holding his fur like reins despite being asleep.

Selen elbowed him in the side, trying to bring him from whatever dark place his mind was in.

“I’m amazed that she can lock her hands like that while sleeping. She fell asleep almost as soon as she got on his back.”

“I know that children can be cranky when they’re tired, but she can be tired for hours without going to bed. I’m glad that she was too tired to be angry by the time we got here.”

“It’s a shame that she’s going to miss the deserts. The Dague act a bit strangely, but they know how to cook.”

“Agreed.”

A more menacing voice appeared suddenly, a wicker bowl of cream puffs in his hand.

“Carden? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Being allowed to set up a proper Nightwatcher base within a city? I couldn’t turn the offer down, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to be open in a city during the daylight for the first time in centuries.

Have you heard from Fomoria? How goes the war outside The Veil?”

Harlan had been the go between for most people, and that meant that he had been lying for months about everything.

People knew that Xol had betrayed Fomoria, they knew he was back, since he visited Blackstone and that couldn’t be hidden forever. But they didn’t know how the war was actually going at all, and they didn’t know about his banishment.

He wanted to be honest, but Amber took that option away from him.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

She didn’t want a word that wasn’t approved by her to pass beyond The Veil.

Nobles had already tried to push the bounds of imperial law, and the Others had put them in their place.

They hear that Fomoria won’t be back for a decade, that only his Others are what’s left of him, that the war has been precarious, they might try to rebel more strongly.

“It’s going well. They’re gaining back land by the day, but nothing they’ve hit Xol with has been able to kill his soul.”

“Such a shame. I would offer more support, but our knowledge is far more suited for handling the bodies of our enemies rather than the souls.”

Carden vanished back into the crowds of people without another word.

He knew what was really going on, his Nightwatchers which were brought outside of The Veil weren’t wiped out, but he also had no reason to do anything but maintain Harlan’s lies.

There was a scream ahead, a woman on the ground, and Wulrun reaching for her as she tried to shield herself.

A group of other citizens quickly drew their weapons in defense of the woman.

“GET BACK.”

Wulrun stepped back and guards arrived quickly, Dague wearing golem armor and wielding black blades.

“What’s the problem here?”

“THE MONSTER CRASHED INTO THE WOMAN, THEN HE TRIED-”

They looked at the situation without a panicked mindset and helped the woman up.

“Shut up, idiots. He could tear the lot of you in half, but he’s trembling.”

They noticed the symbol on Viviane’s clothing.

“Go, we’ll handle this.”

But, Wulrun stayed.

“I’m sorry.”

He bowed to them.

“I’ll buy you another one of those cake slices if you’d like, miss.”

He reached into one of the bags on his belt and pulled some coins out.

Wulrun held his hand out, and waited to see if she would grab them.

She hesitated, but did.

“Sorry for screaming.”

“That’s fine. I would too.”

“Is that your daughter?”

“No, she’s my friend’s.”

“Alright.”

The woman walked away at a brisk pace.

Wulrun had given her far more than the single slice of cake was worth, and she wanted to see the Dague fashion rather than just some food.

He was aware of what he’d done, but she thought it was a mistake and wanted to be gone before he realized it.

Harlan grabbed Viviane off Wulrun’s back, the instant he touched her she let go then swung her hands around her father’s neck without needing to wake up.

“You handled that very well.”

“Thank you. I…”

“Do you want to see the healer? I heard she’s something special.”

“I already met her before. Selen and I have been here for a few days already, we are going to live here.”

“Oh. Well, I’m going anyway. I’ve never met a healer that draws such a crowd before. What’s she like?”

Wulrun scratched his head.

“She’s big.”

Harlan thought that was odd, since healing was a profession that required using a lot of mana, and that normally meant they burned up a lot of calories.

There was a group in front of what seemed to be a warehouse who were letting people in through a small hallway attached to the side of the building and another that were ushering them out of the building.

A white Plest moved through the crowd and cleared some space around Fomoria and Adina.

“Sir Fomoria.”

She bowed to him.

“Are you here to see the healer?”

“Yes.”

“I must be certain that you follow the rules.

Firstly, you may not tell others about her, it’s supposed to be a surprise. You’ll understand why when you see her.

Secondly, you must wait for your turn, well, you don’t actually, we’re going to move you up the line.

Thirdly, and this is for you especially, don’t attack her.”

“I wouldn’t attack anyone without a reason.”

The Plest reached into her pocket.

“And here’s a candy for Viviane.”

She fidgeted a little after handing it to Harlan, who put it in his chest pocket.

“Can I… nevermind. Sorry.”

“You know Fomoria, don’t you?”

“He taught me some, and he negotiated to have me and a few others brought inside The Veil to learn at the academy. But more than that, he saved my life when I was poisoned by the Cast.”

Suddenly, Harlan knew her.

“You’re Nana? Right?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“My parents, they’re students as well.”

“Your parents? They…”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Then that means… that couple…”

“So you didn’t know?”

“None of us knew.”

Adina elbowed her husband in the side.

“You weren’t paying attention at all, were you? They went in with fake identities so people didn’t treat them differently. You need to get out of that forge more often.”

“They’re going to be treated differently anyway, they’re pushing 50 while surrounded by a bunch of teenagers.”

“Nana, please keep that to yourself.”

She saluted.

“On my life.”

Adina couldn’t help but laugh, which caused Nana to blush.

“Th-the next group should be ready to go.”

She awkwardly rushed them inside of the hallway.

The hallway wasn’t more than 10 feet, and at the end were two Dague guards with their horns exposed through their helmets.

They knelt.

“Sir Fomoria, it is an honor to have you here. Behind this door-”

“I sensed her well before I was even in line for this.”

“Your power is surely beyond us, Sir Fomoria.”

They stood and opened the doors.

When Fomoria laid his eyes on her, his body twitched, instinct made them enemies.

Both of them glared at one another, their eyes focused on nothing but the other.

Viviane woke up.

Though half opened eyes, she spoke.

“Big lizard.”

Rekur laughed, breaking the tension.

“She has his… nose.”

Even with her size and the scales made her seem threatening, that image had already been broken by the cats sleeping on her warm snout.

“Little one, would you like to pet me?”

Rekur set her head on the ground, and Viviane squirmed out of her father’s hands.

The young girl leapt from the ground to her snout, a feat that seemed out of the ability for such a young girl.

She grabbed onto the horn Rekur had grown on her front which she had asked be sanded down so children didn’t poke themselves on it.

“Tiamat is bigger. But I think you would be fun to ride.”

“I am certain Fomoria was as adventurous when he was a child.”

Viviane laughed when Rekur spoke, her voice vibrating her head.

“CHARGE!”

The wyvern laughed once more while Harlan and Adina simply watched.

“Is that safe?”

Rekur moved her head around and stepped around the massive warehouse which had been sparsely decorated with ruined children’s drawings and toys. Harlan couldn’t help but wonder what the story was, but felt now was the wrong time to ask.

“I knew about Rekur, but I didn’t think she was so large.”

Hearing this, the wyvern came face to face with Harlan once more.

“I’ve evolved once more since coming under Fomoria’s protection. I lost my home in Kor, and there was no good place for me to be anymore after I grew. Wandering the world was nothing that I wanted anymore.

I am very glad that Dairon brought me to this place, and that I might have the chance to heal many more people.”

One of the guards stepped into the room.

“Sir, we try to limit our time to only a few minutes, so everyone might see her. Would you like us to delay the next group?”

“No, we’ve seen what we needed. Adina, do you want to ride her?”

“I think I’ll leave that to Viviane. Honey, it’s time to get down now.”

The little girl pouted, gripping more tightly to the wyvern’s horn.

“Now now, listen to your mother.”

“I want to play more.”

“Be glad, my mother tried to eat me when I was born white.”

Rekur lifted her head then her wing, turning it into a slide.

“It was interesting meeting you, I suppose.”

“This was much more peaceful than my first meeting with him.”

They all waved goodbye to the wyvern and left.

Viviane went back to sleep shortly after she was back in Adina’s arms.

“What next? It hardly seems fair, but I’d like to win some games for toys.”

“I don’t know. I… does this all feel wrong? A friendly wyvern. Werewolves and gargoyles transformed in broad daylight. Lizard people. Tall blue humans with horns. It’s all… magic exists, but magic is normal in how fantastically it is, and I feel like we stepped into something beyond that. Like when Kleon attacked us, and he was just… beyond what we were.”

Harlan shrugged.

“I bet it’s like water off a duck’s back for you.”

He slightly giggled.

“Shut up. I read too many children’s books.

You should be back here, reading to her.”

Adina realized what she said, how this conversation could go.

“We should try to find where Carden got those creampuffs. When are your parents going to get here?”

“Not until the afternoon. The academy is supposed to bring the students here as a group activity.”

Fomoria too had realized that things could turn dark at a moment’s notice, and this wasn’t a talk he wanted to have today.

He had been spending too much time away from them, he couldn’t argue against that point.

But it was important, or so he’d been told.