Isocrates watched as pitch black tendril spread darkness over the sky as day shifted to night slowly. From the ground of the streets, white marble obelisks with glass tips rose within moments and warm amber balls of arkhaine light appeared within their angular walls. Behind him the wall opened up with a soft hiss which prompted him to turn around.

For a short moment, his muscles perched up as he wanted to rush to her. But in the end, he calmed himself and coughed once. “Luelia? Are you alright?”

“Iso? I’m fine. It was just more demanding than I thought – we thought.” She said while turning back to the grim figure of Naghig who appeared in the opening while carrying a large basket over his left shoulder.

“Still here boy? Should have gone home.” He said with slight surprise while staring at him.

“I planned to. But wanted to be sure she was alright. And that the task was a success.” He said after placing the basket onto a nearby crate and leaned down closer to Aurelithae who offered a reassuring smile to him.

“It was. But she will be resting for a while. You on the other hand too should rest. Tomorrow will be a long one for you.” Naghig said as he firmly grabbed Isocrates’s shoulder. From his finger tips, mana poured into Isocrates and his worry parted while a calm came in its place.

“Right. Please take care of her.” He said while glaring into Naghig’s eyes before he disappeared at the turn.

A short sigh escaped Aurelithae’s lips as she pushed her head against the cold wall. “Thanks.”

“Always. That boy can be tiresome somedays. But he shows promise.” Naghig carefully placed the basket on his back down and collapsed into the snow on the opposite side. Aurelithae arched her brow hearing those words and her lips started moving, but before she could form words Naghig grabbed her and helped her up to her surprise.

“What, I’m fine. I can linger down here for a few more days.” She said while not resisting the aid of the orkh getting her onto her feet while a rejuvenating sensation tickled her whole body.

“On the deossos names, I guess I should not have let you wander alone in Oneiron.” Naghig said with the tone of an irritable aevhen unfit for him. “Have you forgot what great event will be held in the temple tomorrow?”

Hearing those words, Aurelithae’s tired eyes popped open, brimmed with anxiety. Without saying any further words, the two headed out from the valley. With each step she felt a warmness rejuvenate the tired muscles within her frail, delicate legs and just when they got passed by a patrol of Custodiir, the two parted ways like strangers.

**

“Hurry, we don’t have much time.” Ivor whispered as he stood in the at the ladder, gesturing to his comrades. Above the warm light of an arkhaine stone entered into the dim small room, lightning it up completely thanks to the marble. Above them he felt the dozen life essences of the captured mentioned by the merchant they rescued earlier.

As he took one last look at the doorway they came from, Ivor froze and reached for his bow. A soft hand with golden claws that could easily cut through the thick wood appeared at the edge and he jumped back with his bow in hand, left arm reaching for an arrow. “What do we have here? Rodents entering where they have no business to be.” The silken voice of Rhenathorhia echoed through the small underground room.

Ivor slowly retreated while he retreated slowly to the back. His arms remained stiff as he kept his bow drawn, the tip of the arrow lit up in flames that caressed his rugged face with their strange warmth. Ivor watched as Rhenathorhia walked inside – closing the door behind himself calmly – with prideful delight on his divinely enchanting visage.

“You know you caused us a minor headache. Things have been progressing excellently and for that we’re glad. So out of my good will and my love for my brother, I ask you to leave.” Rhenathorhia forced an affable smile that lit up the dim room.

“I am afraid that is not an option.” As soon as Ivor uttered those words with a quiet tone, his arrow was swallowed by divinely golden flames while the smirk of a starving predator settled on Rhenathorhia’s face.

“Good.” With small steps he approached Ivor, his left arm slid out from under his layers of refined white and golden robe while his body was enveloped in a dark amber glow.

**

Harsh, metallic clasps echoed through the straight path leading towards the palace resting at the center of the Radiant Keep. An enormous alabaster marvel of aevhen architecture built eons ago by the First Emperor of Draevhen kin.

“Wait here.” Albron issued his command in tandem with raising his left fist. The four praetoriir stopped within a moment, their segmented ebony plates with draconic iconography clanked at the sudden motions as they lined up besides each other.

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Unlike his fellow’s, Albron donned a crimson toga that revealed the left side of his scar ridden torso with sharp and protuberant curves. The asymmetrically curving hem and the wide neck was laced in golden with draconic runes of arkhaine nature that kept him cold in warm weather and warm in cold. His feet similarly was in the embrace of a revealing sandal of intertwining straps crafted from the hide of manticoras further transmuted to blend with his warm skin tone.

His chest puffed out, his abdomen caved in as he exhaled deeply while placing his hands on the cold surface of the gate. By pouring a small amount of his mana into the gate, it caved in with perfect precision making a squared pattern before the segments retracted into the wall while singing their soft metallic hymn.

“My Elhyrissiar! Brother!” As soon as he stepped inside, he made a polite bow towards Anguraa whose dark dreads fell measuredly onto his exposed back with golden rings decorating them. His body clad in layered robe of deep indigo paired almost perfectly with his scales. The slender frame of his bent lightly forward as he reciprocated his greetings.

Not too far from him, on the other side of a large oaken desk sat their father, Terrianis with all his grace and beauty clad in a prismatic dress sewn from the finest of silken with a soft luster that massaged Albron’s gaze. His hair let out, cascaded in perfect straightness while framing his triangular visage with delicate, perfectly aligned and chiseled features. He lightly nodded his head with an affable smile that made Albron feel uncertain in that moment.

“What is the reason for this nightly meeting my Elhyrissiar?” He pushed his doubt away and strode calmly towards the second chair left for him on the left side.

“With the recent developments made with his prisoners, and with Angura’s success and failures in his long endeavor, We feel it is time to reveal our failure to the people.” Hearing those words Albron twitched a little but maintained his calmness while reaching for a golden cup filled with warm tea as he waited for his father to finish. “For now we decided to reveal the Heavenly Monarch’s taking during the ceremony tomorrow. Unless you have something against it.”

“I do no question your decision, but shouldn’t we wait at least till we capture one of the perpetrators at least?” Albron spoke up after he moistened his throat with the sour beverage.

“In any other circumstance I would agree and advise you to hasten your efforts.” Anguraa’s words hurt like poisoned, heated daggers seeding the heat for sweats. “But strangely, the enemy did not live with their opportunity to use their knowledge to weaken our standing. For some strange reason yet.”

Albron gulped as he pondered whether to voice the next words, but as he looked at his father and brother the words just poured out. “Won’t the enemy count on us doing this?”

“Possibly. Or they may plan their reveal for a later stage of their plan.” Anguraa said as he slowly sipped his steaming tea.

“Whichever is the case, our credibility shall be damaged. This way We may be able to lessen the laceration and with time enough on our hands shall mend those wounds.” Terrianis spoke up next. His eyes trembled a little as he veiled his mild frustration.

“And how shall we proceed for now?” With a pensive expression on his visage, Albron mused how much his Father shall ask of him in the coming days, weeks and decades.

“According to my Eyes, there is a second force moving in the shadows besides the pesky, impatient New Dawn seeding the sows of discord. Ones responsible for beckoning the accursed Infaerni into our peaceful realm.” Anguraa said as he recalled walking through the ash laden floor of one of the Inquisitoriir’s headquarters a few years ago.

Anguraa looked onto the nearest candle and in its light menacing, shadowy outlines appeared on his serpentine visage. “But for now we count on our dear little sister wrapping them around her fingers and through her and the New Dawn restore our credibility after chaos ensues in the capital.”

Before Albron could voice his next statement, Terrianis raised his palm and spoke. “Do not worry about her my dear Albron. Our wards shall make sure no ill fate shall befell her.”

“What about the North? I heard from Sister Vesnyn that the Host began to Amass a great horde of living and dead.” Albron leaned back in his chair as the words of his beautiful, distant elder sister echoed in his mind strangely when he looked out the window staring at the faraway abyssal silhouette of Dhaugruz.

Terrianis’s stare followed Albron’s in a cold manner while his mind wondered whether the Shadow and the Nightscale were one and the same. “We heard her and her agents’ alarming words. Which is why we decided on these things.”

“Which is why we’ll expand the project to the colonies. Plenty of savages to conduct experiments on. And less likely to be used against us.” Anguraa spoke up next eliciting a surprised look from Albron.

“We still expect you to deliver the Temple some of the undesirable elements amongst your prisoners. But for the foreseeable future, leave the current targets be. We shall take care of them in another time.” Terrianis said as he circled his middle finger over his tea, an avian dragon raised from it following the tip of his prismatic claw.

“I will do so. Speaking of which, then won’t it be time to bring Uncle out from his depression?” As those words reached his ears, the avian dragon made of tea collapsed back into the dark liquid as Terrianis turned his attention to Albron.

He remained silent while his usually expressionless, calm visage contorted as he came to a conclusion. “No need for that and do not speak of this to him. With the events that shall unfold, he shall free himself from his own shackles of misery.”

Silence settled between the three as Albron nodded while he felt confliction rising within himself once more. He took a long and silent breath pushing it deep within. Albron slowly raised from his seating. “If that is all I’ll excuse myself my Elhyrissiar, brother. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Terrianis nodded lightly and Albron’s fist clashed against his sturdy chest as he bowed his head to them before he left. “Let’s see if we can trust him.” Terrianis whispered as he rose from his chair and stared at his own shifting portrait

Anguraa’s gaze wandered the room, settling on the fresco painted onto the ceiling while he fiddled with a Coin of Septurrion between his slender fingers. “If not, he shall be just as good of a specimen as Her.” Anguraa said with a callous tone and a serpentine smile as the ends of his dread caressed the marble floor.