“Welcome! It's so good to see you all!” I meet Laira, Marcus and Percival at the entrance.

“Same here!” Laira gives me a warm embrace. Marcus gives me his left hand, hiding his right one behind his back. He gestures over his shoulder. I glance over him and back at him.

“We'll explain in a bit.” He says and we shake hands.

“Of course.” I nod. Percival gives me a half-bow and extends his hand halfway too at the same time. We laugh and I give him a tight hug. Glen and his team take care of the bags.

“How is she?” Laira asks.

“You'll see in a bit. She should be done feeding them soon.”

“I'm nervous...” Percy says to my back.

“Of what? Boy you fought the Rebirth!” Marcus exclaims.

“I just... Am...” Percy crashes sideways to the wall. Oh brother... I pick the boy up. Both, Laira and Marcus have their faces covered... Nobody says anything. I carry our little Cleanser into the room next to ours, soon to be the kids’ room, and lay him down into the bed. I tuck him in and go back out to the hall.

“This way.” I show the other doors and we step inside.

“Good to see you all.” Breeze speaks from behind the screen. “I'll be with you shortly.”

“Take your time.” Marcus says.

“May I?” Laira asks me. I nod. She walks over. “Breeze!” Quiet tears of joy shine on Laira's face. I take our girl into my arms.

“This is Reina.” I tell them, stepping out from the screen.

“She looks just like you...” Marcus seems rather surprised.

“Yeah, I'm so proud of myself.” I tell him with a stupid expression on my face. Laira giggles. I put the sleeping Rei into the cradle. Breeze hands over the boy to me too and fixes herself up.

“This is Xander.” I introduce our son.

“He's a mini Breeze!” Marcus laughs.

“He's proud of that too.” Zarri says showing herself. I lay our boy next to his sister.

“What's this?” Breeze stands in place, staring at the Cornutese boy by Marcus's side...

“That's what I'm waiting to find out...” I tell her, putting my arm around her waist.

“This is... We have no clue...” Marcus sinks his head.

“We found him in Ravenna.” Laira answers.

“Percy's ship was late a few days, there was a huge storm in Portus, so his trip here got delayed.” Marcus adds.

“We were out one night for dinner, when coming back to the inn, I noticed him. Just standing there, in a side alley, dressed in a potato sack...” Laira sits down. We too, take our places on the couch by the end of the bed.

“We asked around, but nobody knew him. We couldn't leave him, so, we ended up taking him with us...” Marcus says stroking the boys head carefully. He insists on hiding himself behind the Mage's chair. The boy only peeks at us every couple of minutes.

“The next day we asked a local artist to make a bunch of sketches of him and hung them around town. We also asked to contact us if there will be any news.” Laira continues.

“We asked the local post office here to keep an eye for messages for Marcus Tallen. We didn't want to cause a commotion by mentioning the Palace or you.” Marcus takes over again.

“So far there hasn't been anything...” Laira looks at the child.

“What's his name?” Breeze asks.

“No clue.” Marcus shakes his head. “He hasn't said a word yet.” He doesn't seem to be too afraid... He's shy? More or less. The boy steps out a little bit more from behind the chair...

“We think, judging by his size, he may be around three? Maybe four years old? Although...” Laira doesn't finish her sentence.

“The way he looks... He may be older... Simply...” Marcus doesn't want to say it out loud either...

“Yes. We understand...” Zarri stares at the tiny, scrawny body... He looks like a miniature skeleton...

“Glen.” I call out. The kid pops up.

“Woah. What just happened...” Marcus is stumped.

“You get all that?” I ask Glen.

“Of course.” The kid confirms.

“Then you know what to do.” Breeze says and the kid disappears again.

“Wait, isn't Glen supposed to be a Druid?”

“Yes, he changed into an Assassin.” I answer Marcus.

“They aren't just mixing it up. They are switching practices all together.” Zarri explains.

“Wow.” Marcus stares at the patch of the floor where Glen was.

“What do you call him then?” I ask Laira.

“Marcus likes Ether. So, we've been calling him that for now.”

“That’s a lovely name.” Zarri crouches down, keeping a bit of a distance between her and Ether. The boy hides behind the chair again.

“Can’t be helped. Perhaps some food would help?” Breeze looks at the boy. We watch the back of the chair. Bit by bit, a horn shows itself, followed by a little face. I smile.

“Right. Arra.” I call out. The girl pops up in the same spot where her superior was a moment ago.

“My lords.” She addresses us, kneeling down on one knee.

“Would you please have the kitchen arrange something for us? The bigger the variety, the better.” Zarri gestures to the poor boy. Arra smiles softly.

“We’ll be sure to bring it over as soon as possible.” The girl says and slips away.

“Laira, would you mind helping me out bringing a few tables in?” I ask.

“I’ll do it!” Marcus stands up, bent in half. A tiny hand holds him down behind the chair. I smile and so do the women.

“You seem to be preoccupied at the moment.” Breeze sits back down on the miniature couch at the end of our giant bed.

“It’s ok, I don’t mind.” Laira pats him on the shoulder and follows me into the other room.

“Remodeling, I see.” She says taking one end of the wooden nightstand.

“We want this to be the kids’ room. Well, at least till they hit their teens.” I answer. We carry the nightstand out and place it in the middle of the room.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here…” I detect a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

“Would you like to look around? You guys are welcome to stay as much as you like.” I offer.

“We’ll stay as long as it takes for Percival to recover. Honestly, it’s not easy getting that much time off. We used Percival as an excuse, which, annoyed the King, of course…” She tells us, setting down the second nightstand.

“I can imagine…” Zarri says. “We appreciate you taking the trouble to visit.”

“It’s no trouble.” Marcus shakes his head. “We figured you might want to know what we found, anyways.“

“Although, with the twins now…” Laira sits back down next to Marcus. I put down another, smaller chair in between them for the little guy.

“With or without the kids, she’d wanna know still.” I tease Zarri, sitting down next to her. “You have my thanks for coming down here, saved me the trouble of talking her out of doing something stupid.”

“Hilarious.” Breeze says squinting at me. “Anyways.” She turns to the trio. “How is everything, besides the RRD?”

“Same thing, to be honest. Well…” Marcus nods to the side.

“Yes, I see, hopefully we’ll be able to find something.” Zarri says with a motherly worried look on her. The doors open and our exclusive guard enters, carrying trays full of mouthwatering and delicious food. They set the plates and trays down on the nightstands.

“Round one.” Odri says. I nod.

“Thank you.” Breeze tells them. We wait for the ruckus to leave and carefully watch Ether. The smell and the sight have made him show more of himself.

“Ether, take anything you like.” Zarri tells the boy. He looks up at us and stares. Marcus and Laira keep stealing concerned glances at each other. We wait.

“Perhaps we’re putting too much pressure on the little guy.” I say taking a plate and putting a bunch of different things on it.

“Let’s eat and see what happens.” Zarri does the same. Marcus takes a plate too and stacks a bite of everything on it. He carefully puts the plate down on the chair between Laira and himself. Laira takes a few things too. I hand Marcus a glass and point to the pitcher. He catches on quick and pours it half way. The Mage sets the wooden glass down next to the plate, right on the chair. We don’t say anything and eat quietly. A few minutes go by and we see Ether showing interest in the plate on his chair. He takes a piece of the smoked ham, takes a whiff of it and carefully bites it down. He chews slowly. We pretend not to notice and yet everyone’s eyes are fixed on the boy. He takes another piece and another. He coughs and we giggle. Laira hands him the glass with the juice.

“No rush, nobody will take it away from you.” She tells Ether. He stares at her with his cheeks puffed out. A moment later he takes the glass from her and gulps it down. Marcus offers to refill the boys glass. He doesn’t fight it. A sigh of relief rolls over us as we see the child enjoy the meal and himself.

“Well, guess we can get back to the main topic now.” Marcus says with a fatherly smile.

“If you’re alright with it, sure.” Zarri nods.

“So then, what did you find?” I ask.

“It’s difficult to explain. We haven’t found the cause for it…” Laira says somewhat disappointed.

“Well, we didn’t.” Marcus corrects her. “We’re not sure if Percival succeeded.”

“We did, however, find a pattern.” Laira says with a more positive note.

“Let’s hear it.” I encourage them.

“It does appear that part of Percy’s theory has been correct. The Castle is alive, in a way. We confirmed that by backtracking the Battles from newest to oldest.” Laira begins.

“What made you choose that approach?” Breeze asks.

“Something bothered me when we were there. I kept catching you two talking about how it wasn’t as the last time and yet it felt like something was the same.” She answers.

“Right, Laira’s hunch turned out to be our biggest breakthrough.” Marcus adds. “Once we started going backwards, we found the link.”

“Mind breaking it down for us?” I ask.

“Sure. This will be easier if I use the last two Rebirths, if that’s alright with you?” The Mage waits. Zarri nods. “Ok then, well, the first chamber 100 years ago was a Lava one, right? With magma eaters and all that jazz?”

“Yes;” I agree; “We froze it over. Somehow.”

“And the first chamber for us was made completely out of Ice.” Marcus pauses again.

“The Castle is able to absorb the magic used and convert it into something else? Is that it?” I ask again.

“Exactly.” Laira answers.

“But what about the copies?” Breeze asks.

“For now, we’re calling it a byproduct of the magical power.” Marcus says. “It appears the Castle adapts in preparation for the next attack.”

“And the next one? The Black Chamber?” I pose the question again.

“We burned the second chamber to a crips, it was like a cave, spikes kept falling down on us, we weren’t able to manipulate the minerals…” Zarri’s expression shows her lost in the past. I put my hand on hers.

“Yes, and the Black Chamber was made entirely out of burned minerals. It enclosed us so we would suffocate. In the second chamber, when you went in the first time. There were no monsters attacking you, were there?” Laira looks us over. I shake my head.

“That explains the lack of reanimated life.” Marcus nods.

“The third room was where you encountered the most of the creatures?” Laira asks again.

“Yes, there were Mancers and Ghouls, well, we called them Mancers, but they were more like…”

“Undead and pure skeletons?” The Mage cuts into Zarri’s sentence. “Yeah, we read it.”

“The fact that you suffered the most casualties in the third chamber, resulted in the surge of the undead that we faced.” Laira explains.

“Ok, so we confirmed the Castle is indeed alive and is able to think?” I stare at the young ones.

“Not think per-se…" Marcus takes Ether’s empty plate and puts it on the table. The little guy curls up on the chair. Zarri picks up one of the blankets and hands it to Laira. She covers the boy with it.

“We believe that it is a naturally occurring process. Similar to how nature is able to restore itself with time and even adapt to changes to be able to thrive again.” Laira says.

“Percival was definitely right about that much.” Marcus seconds the Ravo. “The Castle absorbs the previous magic used on it and uses it in the next battle. Like when one-time Araneum sent out an Army of mainly Hunters and their companions.”

“The next Rebirth had a swarm of Chimeras, Griffons and Sphynxes…” Laira continues.

“So, we have the pattern down. What else?” Breeze asks all serious.

“Yes. Well, there’s also these.” Marcus takes out a jewelry box from his bag. Laira hands it to me. I open it.

“Letters?” I take a few out and give some to Breeze.

“Yes, our team found them in the Letters to Nobody section in the Palace library…” Suddenly Laira’s face turns grim and full of grief… I begin reading them… Oh no.

  “Our Commander got possessed. A moment later the castle began rumbling and parts of it fell to the ground. We dropped our weapons and rushed out of it, to the best of our abilities. We screamed in panic, stepping over one another, running for our lives… There was no respect left. Neither for the dead, nor for the living… It was every man for himself… I do not have the words to describe the disgust I feel remembering it all… The Castle crumbled away soon after our Commander fell. The surviving troops dragged themselves back to the city. Nobody could ever admit that we were nothing more than a bunch of cowards… Nothing can prepare one for the living Hell that the Castle of Despair is…”

Zarri holds the letter in her hands… I put the papers down in my lap and pull her to my shoulder…

“I see there’s a pattern there too…” She finally speaks.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Laira doesn’t even bother looking up.

“Good news.” I say. I catch Breeze staring at me. “Least now we know that the only reason there were so many survivors before, was because they ran away.”

“Can’t say that changes anything…” She mumbles.

“That actually is a good thing, though.” Marcus steps in. “This allowed us to confirm another part of Percy’s theory.”

“Which one?” I ask.

“The Castle is indeed after magic.” He starts. “To be named the War Cieftain of Araneum one must possess immense strength. In time, the magic spread and more people were able to use it. Naturally that led to the War Chieftain being also the one with the most mana and magic power.”

“Once the magic was extracted from them, after the possession, the Castle collapsed. Showing that its magic resource has been replenished.” Laira explains.

“Yes, but this time Burla got possessed. She wasn’t the strongest of the bunch.” Zarri says sadly.

“Yes, but I do believe emotions also have a play in it.” We see Percival enter the room.

“Why hello there, sleep well?” Breeze smiles to the boy, I get up and go into the other room to bring another chair.

“Yes, thank you, I’m, oh, food, may I?” The boy points to the tables. We laugh.

“Like you need to ask.” I ruff his locks a bit, setting the chair down.

“Thank you.” Our Cleanser digs in. “As I was saying.” He says after a few bites. “Curses are based on magic power and words. Curses do not have any physical form, the basis for them are emotions. The intensity of them determines how powerful the curse is.”

“I thought curses need to have an item or a condition, or both?” I pour the kid a drink.

“Yes, but that’s because the curse needs to fulfil itself. How strong the curse is, depends on the severity of emotions at the time of casting. The more negative the emotion, the stronger the curse. In Ancient times there were Curses and Blessings that used something called the Word Magic. Neither Curses, nor Blessings really have chants, they both depended on the creativity of the caster and emotions. The difference between the two is that when casting a Blessing, the caster is not, technically supposed to want anything in return for it, as they, should, ideally be simply sending their best wishes upon someone, Blessings used to be a selfless act.” Percival gets into his monologue tone. All of us relax. This will be a while.

“Used to be?” Zarri asks.

“Yes, unfortunately Blessings acquired a bad reputation because people found a way to profit from it by scamming others, that’s why the practice was banned. In time they became a completely forgotten practice. Now, curses, on the other hand, are meant to inflict harm, so taking money for something like that is a lot easier. That must be why the practice for them is ongoing to this day.” The kid explains.

“I have to say, I enjoy your history lessons.” I smile to the boy.

“Agree.” Marcus seconds me.

“Oh, well, thank you.” The boy nods. “Anyway, as I was saying. Because the basis for curses are emotions, I am inclined to believe that the ones who are most afraid are the ones who get possessed, as strong emotions influence one’s spirit. Depending on the emotion, it can either weaken or strengthen a person.”

“I agree.” Breeze says. “But that only explains my and perhaps Burla’s case.”

“War Chieftains don’t get scared easily.” I add.

“Are you sure?” Percival holds my gaze. Ha, serious? That’s some improvement. “Who says that War Chieftains aren’t human too? They have emotions just as the rest of us. They aren’t gods. A person sometimes chooses to act a certain way because it is simply expected from them. That does not necessarily mean that the person is or wants to be that way.” The kid looks at Zarri, then back at me.

“I see your point.” Breeze smiles at the boy. “Who’s to say that somewhere along the line the War Chieftains didn’t realize the horror and hopelessness of the situation and didn’t lose faith?”

“That would explain the possessions.” Marcus adds. “If they truly gave into the despair, then…”

“However, that does not explain why we saw Starlight.” Zarri says. The mood just got heavier…

“As a matter of fact, it does.” Percival is quick to break the tension.

“How so?” I ask, pulling Breeze closer to me again.

“Wasn’t lady Starlight in love with the Lady?” The boy asks us.

“I can’t say for certain.” Zarri shakes her head. “I never caught on to that while she was alive.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Either way, judging from what happened at the Castle, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance. See, regret is one of the strongest emotions. All of the ghost stories are based on it.” The kid continues.

“Oh right, like a soul can’t move on to the Afterlife if it has lingering attachments to the World of the Living?” Marcus holds his hand on Ether. The boy continues to sleep soundly after a nice meal.

“Yes, if we…” Percival gets cut off by the twins. Breeze and I get up and get to work.

“Please, continue, Percival.” Zarri tells our Cleanser.

“Are you sure? I can wait."

“No no, go ahead, this won’t take long.” I tell him.

“Right, well, if we operate on that assumption then I’d say that the Celestian magic power, taken from Commander, along with the rest of it, and the regret that lady Starlight had – mainly, probably, I’m only guessing here – not being able to express her true feelings, were enough to manifest lady Starlight during the battle. Although, there is one thing missing…”

“What’s that?” I show myself again.

“There had to have been a trigger, a catalyst of some kind that caused such a powerful reaction. I simply can’t figure out what. I feel like that could help us.” Percival does the calculations in his head.

“Weren’t Crile and I the triggers? We were Starlight’s closets friends?” Zarri asks. “Not to mention my regrets from the last Rebirth?”

“Well, true. However, then you would have been possessed again. Instead, it was Burla.” The boy keeps his gaze down…

“Starlight didn’t want to kill her? Is that it?” I look back at our Cleanser.

“Perhaps. The injuries the Lady sustained were serious enough for us to handle on the spot. I would assume that lady Starlight wished to be reunited with Lady Breeze, I mean, she could have easily taken her out, but instead, she took her time going the long way around. Perhaps her true goal was to inflict enough damage, but also use the power of the Castle to fix her?” The kid gives us a conflicted look. We wait. He catches on and continues.

“I mean, I doubt that the same magic that brought back lady Starlight back from the dead was able to heal her. I think the Lady would have been turned into an Undead or her life force would have been sustained otherwise. That is the only explanation I can think of why lady Starlight chose to use Burla’s powers. Perhaps the plan was to scare us into giving up the Commander. We can’t be sure as lady Emerald intervened. But that’s one way to go about it?”

“Well, true… I guess it does make sense, if you think of it this way?” The Mage looks confused. Can’t blame him. I am too… Kinda…

“I appreciate you addressing Starlight as a “lady.” Zarri speaks softly. I glance over at the boy.

“Not at all, I understand she was a dear friend of yours. It’s only natural for me to show her respect.”

“You have our thanks.” I nod to the kid. He bows his head lightly.

“So then does that mean that my regret was not strong enough to succumb to a possession?” We hear Breeze again.

“I would think so yes. I think the Lady’s resolve to fight was stronger this time. Something else must have happened…” Percival goes back into his thinking mode.

“Oh Gods no.” Zarri glares at me horrified. It dawns on me.

“No. Don’t give me that look.” I turn my back to the rest of them. “You couldn’t have known. Don’t start beating yourself up again now, after all this time.”

“Crile, we were the reason for…”

“Nobody is perfect.” I cut her off.

“Crile…”

“I don’t wanna hear it!” I raise my voice for a moment and bite my lip. I take a moment. “If it will make you feel better, go ahead and regret it, but I won’t. Ever. What happened led to all of this and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

  “I don’t wanna hear it!” Sir Crile raises his voice for a quick moment. Another moment later he speaks again. “If it will make you feel better, go ahead and regret it, but I won’t. Ever. What happened led to all of this and I couldn’t be happier about it.” Now it makes sense. The rest of us steal glances at each other. Nobody says anything for a couple of minutes… I feel my body temperature rising. The silhouette of the Lady breastfeeding the twins stirs me... Somehow the maternal image feels to have a hint of erotica to it… I feel my eyes dotting around…

“Percival? Are you alright?” Sir Marcus leans over me. “You look like you have a fever...”

“Maybe you should rest some more?” Miss Laira adds. I shake my head.

“No, it’s fine. I’m ok. Where’s the bathroom?” I ask. Sir Crile points behind me.

“Bathroom.” His finger moves to the right. “Restroom.”

“Thank you.” I quickly go to the restroom. Lucky me that Noxian restrooms also have a mirror hanging over the basin. I quickly splash some water on my blushing face. Damn it. That really stirred me up. I quickly do some sit-ups. Does the trick every time. I fix myself up and get back to the others.

“I’ll go grab something from the other room while the Commander is busy with the twins.” I tell them and grab the knob of the giant door. I almost get knock down as the doors open and a bunch of Noxians enter with trays of food.

“Round two, I presume?” Sir Crile shows himself again from the bed screen. A Noxian girl with grey skin and pale black-ish hair nods. Odri, if I remember correctly? Six more enter the room. This is the same exclusive guard that pledged loyalty to the Lords on our way here. Only Glen is missing. The lack of the deep purple with the grey-ish blue skin is easy to notice. Some of them take the previous trays and pitchers, while others put the new ones down. They move quietly, despite having all of the trays and plates to handle. There are four girls and three guys. Arra’s the second in command when Glen isn’t around. She’s the one with the short-cropped lime colored hair and lightly rosy skin. Next is Tigglia. The light blue skin and navy-blue hair has been tied up in a high ponytail. Pyro’s been sending all kinds of signals to Miss Laira. His red died hair did not match his dark grey skin. The Miss has been ignoring his antics with ease. Messo has been quietly chatting with Commander about something. His back-combed, shoulder-length hair had been cut to chin level. Shame. The color’s nice. A mix of lime and blue. It fit nicely with his light green completion. Drew uses the opportunity to exchange a few words with Miss Laira, keeping Pyro at bay at the same time. The Ravo’s pale skin stands out the most in the Noxian mix. Especially with the pitch-black hair. I notice he added a few more braids to his previous three. I see Erin next to Arra. I remember the white braid and the green skin quite well. She did train under me for the two months we spent at sea. She nods to me as they leave. I smile back.

“Percival?” Lady Breeze looks at me. “You were on your way to get something?”

“Oh, yes, one moment.” I step out and close the doors behind me. I go into the same room I came out of and rustle through my bags. I take the one with the giant scrolls in them and go back. I close the doors behind me again. I see the little Cornutese wake up. His tiny face lights up from the view in front of him. I have to admit that even I feel like a child again looking at all of those desserts.

“What’s all this?” The Sir asks me.

“Maps. I had them copied for me. I think I may have found the reason behind the Castle shape, at least. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the cause or anything, but I did manage to find something else.” I sit back down and pull out a roll. I hold it up and unravel it. I turn the map upside down and hold it out for others to see.

“Now, this is the last map before the first Rebirth. As you can see the border with the Rebellion is there already. This was about a 150 years before the 200 Years of Darkness.”

“The Rebellion has been around since then?” Sir Marcus asks.

“Apparently so.” I nod. “You see the circle there, near the border? That’s a Military base. Of sorts. It was established there to keep the Odions at bay. Over time it grew and turned into a village. Mostly consistent of army men and their families. Now, this here.” I put the map down in my lap and roll out a different one. “Shows how the Rebellion’s territory moved after the first Rebirth…”

“Cowards.” Sir Marcus says.

“Yes. I agree. Their territory kept advancing further off the Rebirth site each time. The difference is especially clear after the 200 Years of Darkness. But that’s not the point. What I wanted to focus on is this.” I take another map out and hold it up again. “This is a close up of the Military base. After the first Rebirth it has not come up in any of the other maps and, here’s the thing. The location of Rebirth has been in the exact same place each time, right where the base used to be.” I see the serious expressions on their faces.

“How are the two linked? Did the Rebirth destroy the base or did the base cause the Rebirth? Which is it?” Lady Breeze asks me.

“I’m getting to that part. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure which came first. But if you would, please notice the lay out of the base.”

“It resembles a hill? Miss Laira says. It seems to have been in three layers? Of sorts?” She leans in closer to the map.

“Yes. Exactly. At the very top there was a stronghold, that the family in charge of the base occupied. It also served as a last line of defense. Plus, it had the best vantage point. Now, I assume that when the base was established, it had to be for the geographical lay out of the land that this place was chosen. There are underground streams marked as water supplies.”

“Makes sense. So then over time, it grew from a base to a village.” Sir Crile remarks.

“Precisely.” I confirm. “Now, with the lay out and the size of the base, I say it is no big wonder, why the Castle of Despair emerges in a shape of a castle and why there are always only three chambers.”

“Right. That makes sense. We never did find a single record of anyone reaching all the way to the top.” Sir Marcus agrees. “It has been assumed that beyond the third chamber lies the throne room, as it would, in a castle of that structure.”

“Exactly.” I nod. “But, here’s the thing. I found the records for when the base was destroyed. Or at least some time right after it happened. They were left by Caleb Downshire. The last lord that was in charge of the village. Apparently, he acted as the commander there in case of an attack from the Rebellion too.”

“Downshire? Such an old-fashioned name.” Sir Marcus smiles.

“I thought the same.” Miss Laira agrees. Lady Breeze clears her throat. The two gaze away, like children. I wait a moment and continue.

“The last record, related to the base was… One second…” I rummage in my bag and take my note book out. I skim through the pages… “Right:

  I returned two months later to find my village nowhere to be found. Only a giant crater gapped in place of it. Not a single survivor. Not a single corpse. Nothing. It looked as if the hill had been blown up…”

I finish there. "It continues to say about several attacks on Rebellion, as it was assumed that it was their doing, however, not a single Odion seemed to know anything about what happened.”

“Probably because they weren’t the ones behind it.” Sir Crile says.

“Possibly so. Either way. The fact remains. The Rebirth happens in the same place where there was human life at some point. Warriors and casters alike.”

“Explains the magic part, amongst other things…” Lady Breeze agrees.

“Expect the part what caused it.” Miss Laira says.

“Well, technically, we do know what caused it.” They all stare at me. “A very powerful curse.”

“Probably. The only question is who or what was powerful enough to cause it.” Commander’s face gives her away. She’s thinking deeper…

“What if the Rebellion did do it? I mean we have already considered that we’d need a ton of Cleansers to counter the magic? Who’s to say they didn’t gather up Hexadors and lunched an all-powerful attack?” Sir Marcus has a point.

“I thought so too. A collective of casters may have been powerful enough to wipe out an entire base of that size. However, according to the records, there were no signs of battle taking place. Not a single corpse was found in the surrounding area either. Even if the Rebellion did clean up after it all, there should have been something left…”

“Yeah, it is too weird after all. I mean, no way would Odions be that meticulous.” Sir Marcus looks down.

“Well, in any case, I am clinging to my theory that the core of the magic power sleeps beneath the earth.” I share my point of view.

“What makes you think that?” Sir Crile asks.

“Because the Rebirth, literally, grows out of the ground.” I answer and the Sir laughs.

“Sorry, Percival, I simply enjoy it when you say such things with a serious look on your face.” Everyone laughs. I feel myself blush again.

“Pay no attention to my idiot husband.” Lady Breeze smiles at me briefly.

“Ok, so, we got that part down. Now the question is how do we counter it?” Sir Marcus asks the main question.

“I thought about it, yes.” I nod. “I'll stick to the initial idea. We need a ton of Cleansers. For the curse part at least. I see no other way of breaking it...”

“Marching through the land with that many people...” Miss Laira sighs...

“I was thinking about it... What if we establish a new settlement near the Castle? I mean, provided we don't half-ass it...”

“Half-ass it? Really?” Sir Marcus stares at me with laughter in his eyes.

“Provided we don't fail?” I look around the rest of them. Sir Crile shakes his head.

“No, you got it right the first time around. We can't afford to half-ass this.” He gives me a warm look.

“You were saying?” Miss Laira elbows the Mage, gesturing to me at the same time.

“I mean if we succeed, Araneum will probably want to expand either way. But that does not mean that we should let ordinary people live there right away. First of all, I don't believe just anyone would be willing to live there anyways. That's the reason why that part of Existara hasn't been developed yet. Second of all. Since we don't know how many troops we would need for the battle, it could work to our advantage to have some of them advance over there early. Only instead of a camp site, they could establish a base. Like the one before. Under the pretext of keeping an eye on the border, in the event we succeed, we should be able to get the funding for this from the King. I mean, this would definitely increase our chances of success. We'd have people go there in portions, easing up on the journey and providing food and shelter for the troops. Once the rest of us get there. Oh! And also! If we do manage to counter the Rebirth then we should also leave someone there to keep an eye on everything, to make sure the malice does not come back and the surrounding area is not affected, oh and...” I die down. “What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“We're surprised yet again, and amazed at how your brain works.” Lady Breeze says softly.

“Serious. Do you like ever rest?” Sir Marcus narrows his eyes at me.

“Was I wrong to assume so?” I try to shrink myself in my chair…

“No. I think there's plenty of reason to think that way. It does sound well thought out. Having troops go there in advance would give us an advantage. Cleansers don't even have to be Military ones. We can use the base there as a way of attracting anyone who would want to help. Of course, this whole thing is a giant gamble, but having a village set up there, would give people hope that this time it's possible to beat the Rebirth.” Sir Crile explains.

“I, too, think Percival has the right idea about it. I remember visiting the site of the Rebirth five years after it happened. The malice was there still. Emerald got infected. She almost died too. Having a somewhat of a Military grade watch keep an eye on things to ensure everything is truly under control is a great idea. If anything, the ones responsible for the area, should also be able to resolve any issues they might encounter or at least inform the Royal City if anything.” Lady Breeze agrees.

“Emerald got infected? How? What happened?” Miss Laira asks with a face full of concern.

“I was careless. I think she stepped on a corpse, that was hiding underground and got infected. It had just rained and the water washed away the soil. I think she cut her paw with the blade. It was a minor cut, but the infection spread. Nothing I had on me at the time worked... When Percival mentioned keeping an eye on things afterwards, I remembered.” The Lady explains.

“What did you do? How'd you cure Emerald?” Miss Laira continues.

“I didn't. The Ancient One saved Emerald.”

“Ancient One?” Sir Marcus turns his gaze to the Lady.

“A spirit of an Animal that has been around for centuries. They grow in size over time and acquire rune like markings on their bodies. They become a beacon for the other spirits, gathering them up in one place, to keep them safe in the Spirit Realm or the Astral Plane, as it's called.” Sir Crile answers the Mage.

“Exactly. I was so desperate that I didn’t even notice how I ended up going into a trance. That was when I met the Ancient One. The cat told me he can save Emerald. We made a deal and that was it. Emerald survived.” The Lady answers.

“What was the deal? If you don't mind?” My curiosity gets the better of me...

“I had to release my cat spirit and leave Emerald behind. It seemed like a fair trade. So, I did. Three years later Emerald found me again and we continued traveling.”

“What did you do for those three years?” I ask again.

“I lived with a family on the Rebellion's side.”

“You what?” Miss Laira loses color from her face.

“That's a story for another time.” The Lady waves us off. “In any case, we need something to hold back the poison too.” Commander steers us back on track.

“Considering that cleansing the curse will require an enormous amount of mana...” I try to follow her lead...

“And that the only ones who can deal with poison are Temeros or Cleansers, and such, anyways...” Miss Laira finishes...

“That only puts Cleansers in high demand...” Sir Marcus nails it in it.

“Unfortunately...” My voice dies down...

“What if we use Vines?” Miss Laira asks.

“Vines aren’t effective against poison?” Sir Crile looks at her.

“Not the ones we have now. But if we breed a new type of Vines?”

“Oooh. Interesting...” I’m intrigued.

“Who would use them? Ravos or Cleansers?” The Lady poses a good question there.

“Both?” I say. “If we can find the right kind of a combination to make the vines evolve or rather mutate into a new breed, then it is possible that both Ravos and Cleansers alike could use it. Plus. Vines could help us penetrate deeper into the ground and help channel the mana required for the cleansing. I mean, I assume we would need to strike as soon as there would be first signs of Rebirth. To minimize the number of casualties and it would give us a bit more control. Though, I would assume anything is possible, and letting our guards down wouldn't be wise...”

“So, basically, we need an army of Cleansers and another army of fighters to protect them while they are busy casting...” Sir Marcus cuts in.

“Exactly.” I agree.

“Well, then it's a good thing you're here. Noxanda is the biggest provider of Vines after all.” Lady Breeze says.

“Ballista is just around the corner too. I assume you'll need the herbs to experiment with?” Sir Crile adds.

“Oh, that's right! The greenhouses! Genius!” I feel my excitement showing again, I squirm a bit in my chair…

“That should give you enough of an excuse to be able to extend your stay?” Lady Breeze glances over at Miss Laira.

The Ravo smiles. “I would think so, yes.”

“The disease is the part that worries me the most...” I realize we’re only half way to resolving the issue at hand… “To treat it one needs a sample of it. Every disease is different. Without knowing what we are dealing with, we can't be sure how to treat it. It puts us at a disadvantage and at risk... There's a reason why Morbusians are so careful...”

“What do you mean?” Sir Marcus looks at me.

“Well. Disease is similar to poison. It needs direct contact to be effective. However. At the same time, there is no way to manipulate a piece of a disease. It is not comprised of herbal combinations. Poison can be manipulated because the basis of the poison is the same. There are special plants used. Also, by adding some Enchanted Herbs to the mixture one is able to manipulate it. A Temeros is not simply a Cleanser dealing with poison. It can also be an Air or a Water Shaman. But that's not the point here right now." I shake my head. "The thing is. A disease has to have a sample. That's usually a piece of infected living flesh that is kept alive through magic, so to speak, until the sample is passed on to someone, in order to infect them and spread the disease...”

“I see why they call them Morbusians...” The Mage does not hold back his disgust.

“Exactly.” Miss Laira agrees.

“There's really no universal cure for it... The only thing they have in common is the living host...” I continue to mumble to myself...

“Don't we know someone for that?” Someone asks.

“Hannah?” Lady Breeze answers.

“Oh.” I snap out of my thoughts. Miss Laira's face looks sad. “Unfortunately, lady Hannah passed away a while back...”

“Oh. Too bad... She would have been perfect...”

“Well, we can still ask for her students to help out. Or we can at least ask?” Sir Marcus tries to ease the sudden gloom.

“Well, you can always seek advice from Venatus. They should be able to tell you a thing or two about illness and disease.”

“Cornutora? How so?” The Mage asks the Lady again.

“Their chimeras. They only use healthy parts. Otherwise, the creatures would rot.” Sir Crile answers.

“Oh. Ew.” Sir Marcus shakes his head. “Well, as long as we can get any help we can get, might as well.”

“I'll get in touch with Araneum tomorrow.” Miss Laira adds.

“Perfect. You can enjoy your stay here with no rush too.” Sir Crile tell us. I feel relieved. This is the first time I’m in the Old Continent, I’m quite excited about being here… Oh. That reminds me.

“Another thing, though. This is unrelated to the RRD, but I had some free time so I indulged in my own curiosity and found this.” I take out another roll and hold it out. “This is a map of Noxanda from waaay back. Did you know? That your lands used to be part of Ballista? See here. All this area used to be a giant dessert.”

“What brought this on?” Sir Marcus asks.

“I have a thing for history and geography. I like studying maps too. It's like traveling back into the past...”

“Percival.” Lady Breeze cuts in, her voice and expression stop me in my tracks… “Would magic be able to influence the terrain?”

  “Percival.” Breeze cuts in without looking. “Would magic be able to influence the terrain?”

“What do you mean?” The boy puts his map down.

“How much magic would it take to change the terrain? Would cosmic energy be able to do it?”

“You’re not talking about splitting mountains here, are you? You want to know if magic is able to change composition?” Our Cleanser’s face rearranges itself into deep concern.

“Yes.” Zarri answers. Percival takes his time. We wait.

“With enough power and time, I would say it is plausible...” He rises his eyes to us again. Breeze's expression is frozen with terror.

“What are you thinking?” I ask her.

“It's true. We are sky dwellers... I always assumed the legend of our people being born from a fallen star was nothing more than a legend... I figured we are nothing more than some accident or a mutation, like the Cornutese people... Freaks of nature...” She pauses. “I've had this nagging feeling ever since I woke up from the coma.” Zarri looks us over. “For a while now I thought what I saw were dreams... Now I think they were memories... Emerald shared them with me before she died...” Nobody says anything...

“I was a Beast. I could only shift. After my possession I was able to conjure Vines and use an offensive spell... Druids are linked to Nature. There are three types of Nature. Animate, inanimate and cosmic. Beasts are linked to animals. Ravos to plants and the earth. Celestians are supposed to use cosmic energy. In theory, a Druid could possess all three types of power, since technically all three are Nature. Also. In theory, any Noxian with mana can be a Druid. Unfortunately, a Druid has to have a connection to Nature. If it's not there then it's not there. Now, the thing is. As a Beast I had a closer connection to the animals, but after the first Rebirth I was able to pick up hints of the other two powers as well…”

“A Noxian Cleanser is simply a failed Ravo...” Laira whispers. “Your mother once told me that.”

“Exactly.” Breeze agrees. “Percival, considering that the three natures of the Druid are somewhat connected, would it be logical to assume that by amplifying one’s power any Druid could wield all three natures?” We all stare at the kid. Percival has that look on him again. His brain is processing...

“It would take an enormous amount, probably... Perhaps, I'm not entirely sure how it works, but, once in a trance, if the Druid should practice focusing on the other types, than what they are, then perhaps, one could teach themselves to use the other types as well?” He's hesitant. “What's gotten you thinking this way?” The boy gives my wife a serious expression.

“Because Emerald was able to release the Celestian powers...” I feel the words move my lips for me... “That feeling was the same when Breeze was possessed and her Celestian powers were unleashed...”

“Exactly...” Zarri agrees. “What if each of us have that power... Dormant inside of us… What if each of us can be a Celestian?”

“What makes you think that?” Marcus asks carefully...

“That.” Zarri points to the map of Noxanda from ages ago. “The fact that our land used to be a dessert. Same as Ballista...”

“Do you believe that the cosmic power could have transformed a barren dessert into prosperous woods, rich with food and life?” The Mage stares at the map than back at Breeze.

“Yes. If we base it on the legend. It says that stars came falling down from the night sky one after another... It doesn't say how many of them fell, but it had to be enough to establish a settlement...” Zarri explains...

“With that much cosmic energy, which is said to be the most powerful type of magic...” Percival cuts off his own thought... Breeze continues.

“The battles between us and others were all due to the fertile soil and the wild life, which overrun the land... The Balli wanted the land to feed their people. The Cornutese wanted the land to hunt... The Primerians were the only ones who didn't fight with us...”

“That's ‘cause we believe it is too tedious and barbaric...” Percival answers.

“I'm cool with it.” Marcus shrugs his shoulders. Laira giggles with her shoulders only, not making a sound.

“True. They were also the ones to teach us how to fight... Amongst other things...” I add.

“The problem is, our people never wanted anything except to live peacefully... It took a lot of effort, but we managed to achieve a truce with both sides. Noxanda's territory is not even that big, when compared to the other nations. We live longer, we don't need that much space. We gave up pieces of our land for the sake of peace...” I explain.

“That would also explain the marble...” Laira doesn't raise her head off Marcus's shoulder.

“The marble?” The Mage asks.

“Yes. Noxanda's biggest trading commodity. The Marble Mines are the biggest income source for us...” I answer again.

“Each Noxian carrying the powers of a Celestian...” Laira mumbles again...

“That's great! Isn't it?” Marcus exclaims and quickly dies down. Zarri's face is sheer horror...

“That's terrible... If and, oh gods, I hope I am wrong, if every Noxian is carrying that kind of power within themselves without even realizing it... Imagine what would happen should the outside world find out? An entire nation of ticking powerhouses, strong enough to wipe out the whole Castle of Despair if not more... We would be feared and hunted. Slaughtered. Nobody would ever wait for our promises or explanations... Noxians are already resented because of our longevity... I refuse to give the world another reason to despise us.”

“Don't worry, Commander, my lips are sealed.” Percival holds his gaze.

“Same here.” Marcus agrees.

“Appreciated.” Zarri and I both nod...

“If you figured it out, then...” Laira's voice does not want to finish that sentence...

“Then someone else can too...” I finish it for her...

“What will you do?” Marcus asks.

“Nothing.” Zarri's in her Queen mode now. “We'll cross that bridge when we'll come to it. For now, this will be a secret for the Members of the Royal family to guard.” A hungry cry cracks the tension.

“Speaking of.” I stand up and go over to the cradle. Both are in full swing. Breeze makes herself comfortable in the pillow throne, on the bed. I take Rei and bring her over to her mother. Zarri takes her and lays her in position. I go back and take Xan, the cries stop as soon as Xander gets in front of his mother's chest.

“Don't mind us.” Breeze says. The evening sunlight, coming in through the arch windows is hitting the bed just enough to cast a shadow of the three of them on the bed screen... Percy's face turns the color of boiling flesh. I smile. His embarrassment is showing again.