Bernard and Caspian arrived at a dump. They shared a look and felt as if they’d been tricked. Sharing a glance, Caspian shrugged and Bernard rolled his eyes, both deciding to follow the map completely before dismissing the possibility that the people they’d met in the tournament of scions were playing tricks on them.

“Could be a trap, you know?”

Bernard looked at Caspian trying to shove down that he felt exactly the same way. When he’d been awake almost a thousand season cycles ago, this area had less trash, but felt just as dangerous and was rumored to be a plain of lost souls. Now, he’d been invited into its depths for a birthday party.

“That group is seemingly full of weirdos, far too strong for their own good, but they don’t seem like liars. Liars are a lot easier to deal with,” Bernard said, creating a knife from shadow and light, before he casually stabbed the air in front of them.

“I guess, still feels like a trap…”

Bernard merely grunted, and the pair continued. Things became more odd the farther they went, however. Stranger and stranger sights filled the area, making Caspian’s mouth hang open, the young man literally pointing each time they passed an interesting landmark.

“Is that a sparking pyramid flying through the air over there?”

“It seems so, and if you look hard enough in that same direction, I think you can see the top of BlackHole Coliseum from here.”

“Yeah, I think you are right.”

Mist poured out from Caspian’s shoulder blades, filling in a framework of light in the shape of wings and the young man crouched slightly before shooting upward. Bernard heard a series of curses come from the Coin heir, and Caspian soon landed, slowly shaking his head before increasing his pace beside Bernard.

“What is it, what’s wrong?”

“Just come on, it's only a little bit further."

Bernard frowned but followed. His heart began to beat with an odd mix of fear and excitement, wondering what had Caspian so amused. His only friend since waking up now wearing a smile large enough that Bernard also increased his pace.

He’d awoken near to this area, but truly hadn’t paid it all that much attention on his exit, so when they strolled passed the last trash mountains and saw a perimeter wall, topped with both runic system mana cannons, and a seeming fleet of Vulpis Ibis, Bernard froze.

“What are you doing, man? Come on,” said Caspian, gesturing toward an open gate nearby with a line of people stretching from the gate trying to gain admittance. It took Bernard a while to pull his focus from the Fox Owls that were once his sister’s calling card, a series of hoots echoing throughout his mind from a long dead past. The young Cultivator had to force himself to move, shaking his head before the thoughts freed the rest of his body from his momentary paralysis.

They strode up to the head of the line, gaining many unwanted stares as they skipped past hundreds if not thousands of people waiting to enter. It wasn’t until Caspian handed over their personal invitations and the guards let them through that the pair was seemingly forgiven by the crowd. Bernard gave a rude gesture to an elderly gentleman who’d mumbled under his breath up until the point they’d been let through.

“You should learn to respect your elders, young man!”

“I’m 717, talk to me about respect after you’ve seen a civilization crumble, little boy!”

Bernard sneered over his shoulder at the man, seeing the shocked mortal look around nervously, as many there glanced between the elderly gentleman and himself. Bernard formed crows from his shadow that fluttered about menacingly, until Caspian pulled him along.

“What were you going to do, kill an old mortal in broad daylight?”

“I’ve done worse, not like anyone here could stop me now,” grumbled Bernard. Caspian snickered to himself, and Bernard had to force down the feeling that the rich scion was laughing at him. Laughing at what he’d said… maybe even feeling as if he himself could stop Bernard if warranted.

“Did you mean what you said?”

Bernard looked over at Caspian, seeing the young man’s raised brow and questioning gaze.

“Mean what?”

“That you're nearly 1000 season cycles old, and that you’ve seen a civilization fall. That is pretty deep, man. I don’t know many Cultivators personally that can say that kind of thing and it really be true.”

“Well, I definitely saw my sister become a queen, then assassinated by her misguided parents, and I was put to sleep for 700 season cycles for my plans to destroy them, so no I don’t feel that old, nor do I have the experiences of a Cultivator my age, but yes, I’ve lived through it,” Bernard said nonchalantly, trying to present a hardened cover that the sadness in his eyes didn’t support.

The two continued in silence. Caspian both mulling over the details of Bernard’s life and trying to give the young man a moment to breathe, after witnessing instability in the Cultivators demeanor for the first time. While Bernard distracted himself from thoughts of his sister, taking in the lush lands that were held within the perimeter wall.

Crops could be seen growing in one direction. A series of training grounds in another direction, sat accessible to mortals and Cultivators alike. Both seen being trained in the distance.

The more they strolled the more was revealed. Caspian lost himself in the multitude of gardens and crops being watered by miniature flying sprinklers that looked like small islands topped by trees. The small clouds that accompanied each of the flying tools left streaks of beautiful light in their wake that made him slightly envious, wanting a garden of the same quality in his own home. The young scion even made a mental note to hire the person who created the vibrant environment he walked through, determined to figure out who designed and constructed it all before he left.

Meanwhile, Bernard was captivated by how well guarded the area was. No Cultivator he walked past seemed extremely powerful by any means, yet the problem he had wasn’t in the potential to face overwhelming force or power from a single individual, but instead his mind couldn’t get over the numerous amounts of youths or young adults overflowing with mana.

“Before he’d gone to sleep, Bernard could easily tell when a mortal was on the verge of becoming a Cultivator, forming one or multiple cores, or the rare trio, or Tri-Core. What he felt while walking through the developing compound around him was what he believed to be an oil refinery housed at the base of an active volcano.

“Do they not know what happens to a mass group of mortals all becoming Cultivators at once…?” Bernard had mumbled the words to himself, but received a response not from Caspian as he would have expected, but from a mature woman ahead of them on the path they walked down.

“No, child, I don’t believe they do, but how you are aware of something so cataclysmic makes me wonder exactly who you are?”

Bernard froze. Froze in a way that made his blood run cold, he almost spoke his mother’s name, nearly biting his tongue as the differences in the facial features became apparent. This woman was not his mother, but could be her twin.

“What’s wrong child, am I so haggard in my old age that I have frightened you to the point of tears, young man?”

Bernard wiped his face, angry at himself for the flow that streamed uncontrollably from his eyes. He took deep breaths and looked at Caspian who smiled back at him, looking at the woman who’d stirred up such a volatile reaction in him before Caspian spoke up.

“It's not you, darling. It's been a hard day for my friend. He is dealing with a lot. We even took the longer route, to the gathering we were invited to, hoping to clear our heads. I’m honestly surprised to see you here.”

The beautiful woman spread her arms wide, slowly turning a graceful circle as she too took a deep breath.

“Yes, I find myself wanting a bit of privacy myself these days and often walked these grounds. They are spectacular to tread through, especially knowing that trash once filled every inch of these grounds,” said the woman. Caspian nodded and Bernard felt the dire need to ask the question pressing against the forefront of his mind as if it carried a physical weight, attempting to burst free of his skull with the pressure of an intense migraine.

“Are we related? You look so familiar to me…” The words came out more a statement or declaration of truth, as Bernard was convinced. Nothing and no-one would have been able to change his mind, and the woman’s own smiled solidified his thoughts with a permanence that he would never let die.

“No I don’t believe so, child? What is your name?”

“Bernard, Bernard Archon.”

…

Almarine stood in front of her descendant and shook her head. A lie that she would keep from the world forever, pulled from darkness itself standing directly before her. Proof of an ancient infidelity that had haunted her since her own young adulthood. For Almarine Ikarus had nearly married into the Archon bloodline long ago, as her brother Carter Ikarus had been forced to give up his own surname to marry into the Omni bloodline by their parents long ago.

“You're lying…” the young man’s gaze sharpened on her, and Almarine felt she looked into the eyes of a man she hadn’t seen since she was a mere 17, and still remembered the amount of season cycles she’d been alive.

“Maybe that is true, child, but you shouldn’t feel so justified in calling an old woman out for wanting to keep her secrets,” said Almarine with a smile.

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” said the young man beside Bernard.

“My name is Caspian Coin, not that that is important right now. Maybe we should go Bernard, this woman seems to want to be alone and we are already late. Come on, I’ll be mad if I miss out on that famous chef’s cake... one of my cousins is on a season cycle long waiting list to receive a small one and the slice I had during the tournament was to die for,” rambled the young man next to Bernard nervously. The name Coin making Almarine bristle with excitement.

“Coin, hmm any relation to Vendor,” Almarine asked with a faint smile. Caspian’s eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Bernard and then back at Almarine.

“Yes, do you know my grandfather?”

“Yes, I do,” started Almarine with a nod.

“Tell him that Almarine says hello, and that she still expects her payment on time,” said Almarine. Causing Caspian’s eyes to widen. She felt a fluttering of system energy, signaling that the young man most likely had just sent a message. Her assumption confirmed by the young man immediately kneeling before her, pressing his head to the ground in a sign of absolute servitude.

“The scion of Coins greets the queen of slaves. Anything within my power is yours. My grandfather sends his humble greetings and wishes for your forgiveness on his late payment.”

Almarine chuckled, knowing that the amount of money owed was such an insurmountable amount that her old friend would never be able to catch up. Her and her brother each rightfully owning 26% of all of the Coin fortune, both earned and saved, a contract point that had plagued the richest family within the realms for countless seasons.

“Stand up, child. Bowing to me is unnecessary. Do you praise the suns each day you receive their glorious blessing, or are you exhilarated with the light that shines free across the realms inhabited by celestial bodies?” The comment made both young men share a look. A grandiose statement unlike any either had ever heard before, unknowing just how considerable the woman before them was in the scheme of natural life throughout the realms below the heavens.

“Actually, I take back what I said. If you two are willing, I am actually looking for disciples to help me with tasks worthy of gods and titans…” Almarine smiled and the young men slowly nodded. Bernard reluctantly at first, until he was pulled into kneeling by the Cultivator next to him.

“You sure about this,” Bernard whispered. Caspian chuckling softly as he glanced away from Almarine to whisper his own response.

“More sure than I was taking help from the lord of all sparking crime. Now bow your head, you idiot. This is only one step of many we will take on our rise to power,” responded Caspian. The two young men both pressing their heads to the ground as Almarine spread her mana outward, analyzing their bodies for both weaknesses and potential. She wasn’t surprised by the power found within both after Caspian’s last comment, knowing her brother either made them pay for the incredible amounts of untapped energies running through their veins, or would one day collect his own bounty from them both.

Until then I will use them as I need…

“What would you have us do?” said Bernard. Almarine sensed that the only reason the young man truly was going along with serving a complete stranger was her resemblance to a relative of his, and the deference his friend gave Almarine, and the displayed surety that Caspian remarked would end with them both being rewarded in the end.

“Simple child, I will have you claim this entire realm as your own…”

…

Arson found himself alone. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d walked away from the celebration. Yet found the silence just before sunset to be a beautiful experience even within the dangerous atmosphere that was the dump and junkyard as monsters and creatures began to stir all around him.

Ego ran about, running between the heaps. The dog was accustomed to the violence within the dump already. Excited about getting to endlessly attack creatures and monsters ready to fight any and everything, Ego took a guarded stance at the bottom of the mountainous heap, his head on the swivel. Every direction filled with possible playthings for him to pounce on, completely ready to maul the next target he saw.

Arson found himself checking off tasks from his to-do list, only to add more and more. He oddly enough felt comforted by the list growing rather than shrinking, and smiled as he added a personal task to his list for the first time in a long time.

“Ask Troy to marry you,” said Anastasia, looking over his list. Arson nodded, and smiled further.

“Yes, and I don’t want to hear a word about it from you, Ms. Negative,” said Arson with a glance down at his watch.

“Not a word…” The AI stayed silent for not even an entire breath before speaking again, her actions in exact opposition of what she said she would do, but Arson was glad to find her next statements to be kind and unexpected from the virtual woman on his wrist.

“I actually think she is the best thing I’ve ever seen happen to you all these seasons by your side. I know I don’t say this often, but I really do appreciate you keeping me as close as you keep any of your friends or family,” said Anastasia. Arson scoffed and shook his head slowly, walking up the side of a trash mountain in search of a view.

“That was a lot of words, but regardless thank you Anastasia, I don’t know what has you sentimental right now, but I’ll take it,” said Arson with a laugh.

“To be honest, I have found myself hoping that you actually do survive me teaching you the runic language, and that may or may not have to do with the fact that you made sure Carter retrieved me from where he’d left your arm to explode, after the Tournament of Scions,” admitted Anastasia. Arson looked down, feeling an invisible shrug from the woman, who looked away embarrassed. They’d never talked about what had happened and Arson thought nothing of it. Anastasia was his friend, regardless of being an AI, or having had been constructed from the dying consciousness of his mother’s dead wife, and for the first time since they’d come together he felt the need to tell her as much, inspired by the needs of his older sister.

You can’t keep assuming everyone knows how you feel about them. Just share your truth and see what happens…

“You know that we will always be family as long as I am living and breathing right, Anna?” The AI shook her head as Arson crested the top of the trash mountain. The young man smiling down at her, as star like tears flowed down her face.

“Well, you do now, so no more excuses. I have your back, so you better have mine, woman. This is going to be a long life and I won’t make it far without you.”

The dump came to life around Arson and he smiled at Anastasia’s whispered thanks. Feeling more rewarded by what she said next, than any thanks he could ever receive from her.

“Robot herd incoming from your six!”