They followed Tabula to another strange portal, this one was metal and revealed a tiny room beyond.

“A holding cell?” The brother guessed.

“It’s merely an elevator designed to transport us to a different level of EDEN.” Tabula noticed the apprehension on their faces and reassured them. Her response was so well timed, however that the twins suddenly wondered if she could also read their thoughts.

Once inside, Tabula pressed a button and the elevator descended smoothly. The twins’ stomachs lurched at the sensation of falling.

The elevator stopped a moment later, and the portal began to open. The twins were hardened killers, had seen beauty and horror beyond the experience of all but a very few. When the area beyond the elevator door came into view, they both felt a sense of awe and terror that fully eclipsed all of their other combined experiences.

They both hesitated. There was no floor beyond the elevator, merely empty space. Not just open air, but actual outer space. The night sky of the cosmos was the floor, walls, and ceiling of this alien area. Tabula stepped out ahead of them, walking as surely and easily as though across sturdy stone flooring. Perhaps fifty meters beyond the door, a platform of shining white marble with massive broken pillars floated in place. A thick gray fog obscured the details of it.

“You are safe, please proceed.” The woman assured them.

With a simultaneous gulp, the twins complied. Sure enough, they did not fall to their oblivion. There was something supporting their steps, and they bravely followed the tall woman. The platform loomed closer, and they realized it was much further away and much larger than they had originally perceived it to be. A set of ten stairs marked the entrance, and the twins breathed a sigh of relief to have something with the appearance of solidity beneath their feet once more. As they approached the final step, the supernatural fog, which they now realized was a cloud of fine ash separated and revealed the folly of any that would challenge these people.

Two lines of women to either side of a blood red carpeted aisle stood passively with their hands folded at the waist. They appeared normal enough but there was a feeling that made the brother’s neck and arm hair stand on end. Beyond them, standing before another set of ten stairs in front of a raised dais were five tall and fierce looking catfolk women. An alarming mental gasp from his sister made him look over at her. She was practically quivering.

“Cambions and Hellcats!” She shouted into his mind.

That was certainly scary. Those were the names of high ranking infernal races. Cambions were the unnatural offspring of demonic nobility and humans, while Hellcats were the same but with catfolk instead of humans. Most of the time such monsters wouldn’t be too much of a threat to a Crusibilis knight. However, very rarely they could essentially become the inverse of demigods but only if they were also named-

“They’re ALL named!” Her thoughts hammered home, and the color drained from his face. “They all bear titles as disciples or acolytes of the one called Gray.”

As if on cue, the ash atop the dais parted and revealed a pale skinned man wearing a dark suit. He was powerfully built with a posture that even Typhon might envy. To his left stood a pair of dark alfar women, also mythical beings. To his right stood a giant that could be none other than the legendary mountain terror himself, Yugal.

Each appraisal raised more alarms than the last. The most terrifying thing about it? Yugal was the weakest one on that platform, and he would give the twins a good fight by himself. The man’s voice rang out then. It was smooth, but not frightening as she expected.

“I was once told that Appraisal without permission is perverted, good emissary. I see you don’t share that opinion.” He said with a crooked smile that revealed just a few teeth and one sharp fang.

“He can sense my Appraisal!?” She thought in alarm. Then she could feel his own Appraisal skill crash into her mental defenses, shattering them almost instantly. She had never been Appraised, her innate gifts prevented it. It wasn’t possible...

“Greetings Crusibilis Knight Arowyn and Crusibilis Knight Rolen. How flattering that the kingdom would send such exalted emissaries to meet with my humble self.” The man called Gray spoke kindly the words that exposed the twins’ hidden identities.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Those names. They were the names of dead orphan children, sacrificed upon an unholy altar, giving birth to the green knight. Those names had been burned from their memories by magic, and buried under the weight of wretched deeds. The twins had spent so very many sleepless nights trying to remember those names. Yet this man had spoken them so casually after a single glance.

“W-Who are you, exactly?” Rolen spoke, tears building in his eyes as he tumbled through the long repressed horrors attached to his lost identity.

“Me? I’m just a guy trying to make an enjoyable place to live in and have some cool adventures. My name’s Gray, nice to meet you.” He absently scratched his scalp as he spoke. “You’re here to spy on us, and in the best case assassinate me. Don’t worry I don’t take it personally. It’s not gonna work though. What you’ve seen isn’t really much and you’re way too weak to take a shot at anyone here.”

Rolen fumbled a rebuttal and ended up falling silent as Arowyn finally spoke.

“Everything you said is true. We are the king’s highest ranked assassins. More than a hundred of our subordinates are poised to strike high value targets in Fi- Ariel’s Gate as we speak.” She corrected herself and continued. “After seeing this place and the beings within it, we will order them to stand down and retreat with all haste if given the merciful opportunity to do so.” Arowyn dropped to a knee as she finished, and her twin gawked at her with a slack jaw.

“The king will kill us both! Actually forget the king, what if Typhon finds out!?” Rolen abandoned his own sense of secrecy as he blurted the question.

“Look around you brother!” She cried back. “Any one of them could decimate a hundred soldiers, and they have resources beyond imagination.”

“Hey, you’re surprisingly reasonable.” The suited man said happily. “I like you way more than that last one. What was it? Goose Pore? Jester? You know the blue guy.”

“Gespar.” Arowyn answered. “The youngest Crusibilis knight and crown prince of the kingdom. He was a cruel and arrogant one. It’s a shame that he was sent instead of one of the others.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” The man replied. “Our position stands, though. We’ll stay passive unless provoked. If the kingdom condemns the actions of the late blue knight and apologizes we are even willing to open trade routes and diplomatic relations.”

“We will do our best to dissuade the kingdom from its chosen course.” Arowyn said. “There is one matter we must address. Was the fifth unit captured or killed? We have been tasked with discovering their fate for the sake of their families and friends.”

“A little bit captured, and a little bit killed I guess you could say. They were set on exterminating innocents so my girl Niiya gave them a change of heart.” As he finished speaking, a small preteen catfolk girl with striking features stepped out from behind the one called Gray.

Niiya’s eyes glowed briefly, and hundreds of knights mounted upon hulking boars materialized out of the ash. They still bore their fatal wounds, and a dark glow emanated from within their helms.

“No...” Rolen whispered in despair. “How?”

“She actually has a Domain Power.” Arowyn could barely squeeze the words past her dry throat.

Domains were among highest order of world spells, only mentioned in old tomes and regarded as pure fiction by most scholars of magic. Arowyn couldn’t help herself as she appraised the child. In her studies of the lower planes, she had seen the name Ash Huntress mentioned as the rogue demon feared by even the overfiends. ‘May The Ash find you napping.’ was a common curse in the hells.

“You aren’t my prisoners, and I do not seek further bloodshed.” The man stepped forward and stood taller as he spoke. He stared down with a sudden intensity that made the twins very uncomfortable. “But make no mistake. Harm done to any I have invited to live peacefully within my influence is an attack against me personally.”

A black, shadowy aura suddenly erupted from the man’s body and drove the twins to their bellies with the weight of a mountain. They struggled in vain as wave after wave of increasing force made them feel as though they would die any second. Suddenly the pressure vanished and they gasped in huge lungfuls of air that had been pressed from their bodies.

“That is the message you may deliver to your king.” The man’s voice was calm, cold, and terrible.

The twins struggled slowly back to their knees but didn’t stand. The aura had done some serious damage. It would take several potions to repair the fractured ribs and damaged organs if General Trasana wasn’t in the capital with her healing miracles. Blood streamed from their noses and the corners of their mouths.

“Was that too much of my aura?” The man’s voice now sounded honestly concerned.

“We accept your punishment, and the message.” Rolen spoke and finally regained his feet. He helped Arowyn do the same, supporting her gently around the waist.

“Glad you’re such troopers but that was a little more message than I meant to send.” He descended the stairs to stand before them. “Jade, would you mind?”

“I told you so!” A flippant voice from behind the injured siblings heralded a new and powerful presence. “The humans around here are like little baby bird eggs.”

They turned and their gaze was drawn up and up by the glittering, green emerald scaled form of the dragon. This was no wyvern or wyrm. Such paltry imitations had no place in the presence of this divine beast. It was a true dragon, power incarnate, a legend in the flesh. They had seen the paintings, tapestries, and even some high quality illusions of dragons in their lifetimes. None of it prepared them to see Jade. They weren’t even conscious of the fact that they were both back on their knees.

A single green claw traced an elegant rune with the ease and fluidity of breathing. The twins’ bodies glowed and all of their pain melted away. Scars, blemishes, wrinkles, old chronic injuries that no potion or healing miracle could touch all vanished as though they had never been. The twins stood weakly, even though their bodies were flooded with vitality.

There was no longer a single scrap of doubt as they looked around, and then at each other. They bowed together as one and supported each other as Tabula led them back to the elevator. The wondrous architecture and beautiful decor was little more than a surreal blur as they were led back outside to the plain, snowy western field.

“The kingdom... No, the entire world that we know is going to break.” Rolen’s voice was wistful as he took a glance over his shoulder at the enormous alien structure.

“Yes dear brother Rolen.” Arowyn was smiling, and her eyes were lit with joy. Her brother’s real name rolled so naturally from her lips now. “It seems our prayers have finally been answered.”

“And what did we see here?” Rolen’s face became sly.

“Nothing, of course.” Arowyn matched his expression. “Weaklings and bluffing charlatans fit to be crushed by the full weight of the kingdom.”

“To the death of the king, and the bastard Typhon.” Rolen growled.

“To the death of the king, and the bastard Typhon.” Arowyn repeated as they clasped each other’s hands.