The Donns of Neve were the wealthiest of all of Derra, said to hail from a once powerful island confederation that only they remained of. They were great travelers and merchants, unifying Derra under their own personal currency and retaining control over the minting and distribution of it.

And their banks were the focus of all of it, not only were they the greatest collections of sil, they were also where sil was manufactured. For Dalton to have the prospects of a bank in store for Gelvurt, it was tantamount to the Donns of Neve considering my son for membership.

"This food is still delicious as ever, Zao hasn't gotten out of practice," I said, absently wondering just how far Dalton had brought Gelvurt into the future.

I was also having to pay extra mind to not accidentally attempt to pick up the fork with my missing arm. I was already feeling a tinge of frustration everytime I fooled myself into trying.

Dalton was eating his own food across from me, a simple table having been brought in to eat in the comforts of my room. There hadn't been much confidence in my ability to walk and I'd preferred to eat before dealing with the concerns of Dalton's alchemists.

It was unfair to them, but I was a tad wary after Zactrik's duplicity.

Dalton shook his head, taking a bite of chicken, "Zao no longer works for us, I hired some exceptional cooks from Cerula to properly make our meals in his stead."

"I see." Perhaps Zao had found employment elsewhere? "How have you been, Dalton? You've done so much while I've been gone. Have you been well?"

"I've been busy," Dalton said, meeting my gaze with indifference. "After the king died, Daka was in no state to take up responsibility for Gelvurt, so I did so with her support and the support of the other High Lords of Tribus."

"That must have been difficult." The food was tasting worse by the second.

"Not really," Dalton continued to eat, unabated by the subject matter. "I knew it was always a possibility with your lifestyle and Derra's penchant for surprises. There were some difficulties, yes, but nothing I didn't nip in the bud before they became legitimate issues."

Unease began to unfold in the back of my mind at his words, but I nodded, "I see, I'm thankful, then. I'm sure the people of Gelvurt appreciate your hard work."

"Those with intelligence, yes," Dalton said, before he paused eating for a moment, "I have a lot to show you, father. Gelvurt now competes with Cerula itself in terms of population and prosperity."

That was difficult to even imagine, but I trusted my son. He was never one to exaggerate about such matters.

"That's amazing, Dalton." I felt like I'd been complimenting him endlessly as we spoke, but I had years of acknowledgement to make up for. "How is the empire? What happened to Zactrik?"

"He escaped." Dalton was quiet for a moment, before he shook his head, "Zactrik has become a phantom since your fight with him, although we still deal with remnants of his work. After you fell, CAD mobilized with aid from other nations to begin uprooting hidden laboratories around the world."

"So he's still biding his time?" It was hard to imagine that we had actually managed to kill Zactrik. The monster had seemed impregnable, although I could only remember the fight in pieces.

Dalton shrugged, "I suppose. I was more concerned with a civil war brewing after the Houses began to accuse each other of assassinating the king. Don't worry, that was dealt with."

"That's, well, that's good." A civil war? I'd never thought that was possible, but I suppose that with Zactrik's machinations anything was possible. "You did not misspeak, Dalton, I have much to catch up on."

Both in my knowledge of the changed world around me and the weakness that plagued my limbs. There was little I could do to help my children if I couldn't even take care of myself.

As if taking notice of my inner concerns, Dalton wiped his mouth, "I had the alchemists prepare for your awakening in advance, Father. I have a magical healer on retainer as well, ready to aid in your recovery."

"That," I took a moment to consider what I'd just heard, "I appreciate that, son."

The Overseer had said that my son had gone down a dark path, but what was so dark about all that he had done in my stead? Dread began to pool in my stomach at the possibilities.

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There was something bitter about being taken care of by strangers. Beyond the medicine, being in a position of weakness with so much to do, with so many concerns, it was a venom in my veins that was difficult for even these fine alchemists to find a remedy for.

"That should set you on the path to recovery, Lord Tribus," the healer, a woman by the name of Jaya, said. She was of a stouter figure and had a gentle touch. She'd barely uttered a word while lacing my weakened muscles with her magic, a testament to her expertise.

I nodded, already beginning to feel my limbs shake off the years of neglect, "I'll make sure to stick to the regiment you prescribed."

"I'm more worried about you overdoing it, Lord Tribus," Jaya scoffed kindly, before she smiled, "I'll be checking in on you for the next couple of weeks, so don't think you can rush this, alright?"

Rushing was exactly what my heart wanted to do, but I soothed it for the time being and nodded once more. With that, Jaya was seemingly appeased for now and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

"Jaya's really sweet, huh?" Macy said, a shadow in the corner of the room that I'd forgotten in the flurry of tests and concoctions that had been shoved in my face in the past hour.

I looked over to her, "Dalton's done a fine job in finding capable people."

Macy tucked a stray frizzly bang out from her face, "I, uh, yeah, he's done a great job. He's really dedicated to…you know, Gelvurt."

She made a strange gesture, as if to fill in her own words with motion, and I was struck by how little I knew this girl, even though I'd watched her grow up alongside my own daughter.

The quiet girl that was Natakia's best friend had grown up to be an anxious, rambling young woman, so like her mother, but in so many ways not.

"Macy, how have you been all this time?" I wanted to ask where her parents were, if she knew why Natakia had left for the Velbruns, and many other things, but…

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She startled at the question, looking as if even she didn't quite know the answer herself, before shrugging and giving a shaky grin, "I, oh, I've been great. You know, um, Dad is still around, he's actually out on a patrol today, so, you know, he may come visit later…"

"And…" My words faltered as I saw the fear in Macy's eyes grow, both of knowing the next inevitable question on the tip of my tongue.

"Mom," Macy knitted her hands together, letting out a breath of air, "I don't know where she's at. She went off to go find a cure for you, said that since there was something wrong in your head, um, no offense, that she could fix it…"

I never imagined that Doh would feel so dedicated to my condition that she'd leave to go find answers for it, away from her family. I looked up to Macy, another question on my tongue, but she cut me off.

"Years," Macy said, glancing away as if she were telling me a secret. "Her trip started before Daka left, so more than 5 years back…crazy, right? Mom's been gone for a long time, but…you're back! Maybe…maybe she found a solution somewhere?"

Any assurance on that matter would have been empty. The circumstances of my revival were a mystery even to me, beyond the fact that the Overseer had made it clear that they had not been my savior.

"Your mother is clever, Macy," I smiled, speaking as truly as I could. "If anyone could have figured this out, I would not be surprised to learn that she did so."

"Hah," Macy nodded, "I appreciate that."

For a time we were silent, before she began shifting around, red beginning to tinge her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her head, looking to the door and around the room.

"Are you alright, Macy?" She looked very uncomfortable for some reason.

Macy looked at me with a lot of concern, "I, uh, you didn't hear anything while you were, uh, sleeping, right? Like, conversations that I, well, people had around you?"

Macy never looked more like her mother than when she scrunched up her nose at the thought of being caught in something embarrassing or, more likely with Doh, mischievous.

"No, Macy, I…wasn't aware of my surroundings at all." Perhaps if I had been, the time I spent would not have felt quite so grueling, so painful…so real.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, looking back up from that thoughts to see Macy looking truly concerned now, "Lord Tribus-"

"Macy," I cut her off lightly, "we are family. You don't have to treat me so formally."

For a moment I feared that I had spooked her with the interruption, but she seemed to finally relax, her lips twitching up into a smile. "Oh, uh, thanks…Rakta."

I smiled and she seemed to think for a moment, regathering her courage from before, and sat down next to me. I could tell she had a question, one I suspected I knew.

"What was it like?" Her head faced down into her lap, but her eyes met mine, shining with hesitant curiosity. A macabre interest in the unknown that had almost been as much a part of her life as it had been mine.

Jaya and the alchemists had danced around the question during their examination, speaking of my time spent away from the waking world with emotionless terms and focusing on the physical.

"I'm trying not to think about it," I said, honestly. "It was dark, Macy, like an ocean…I think I…I'm sorry. Thank you for caring, but there's too much to do now that I'm awake to focus on what I've endured."

Macy swallowed, nodding, before she got up abruptly, her eyes flitting to a nearby clock on the wall, "I think Dalton's probably done with his meeting…"

I was happy to hear that. Dalton had seemed annoyed at the reminder of his busy schedule, interrupting our reunion, but that was the life of a noble.

"I think I'm feeling well enough to walk, if you'd lead me?" I was getting quite tired of this room of mine, it was time to stretch my legs.

Macy smiled, nodding. "Sure, Rakta, just let me send word ahead."

As she went to alert another servant, I watched her go and felt my heart clench at the thought of how much Macy had lost to time and circumstance. Why did Natakia leave her here? What could Macy tell me? So much that I wanted to ask her, but would there ever be a good moment to do so?

"Alright," Macy peeked back in, "let's get you moving. Dalton is waiting for you in the courtyard."

I nodded, standing up, before a thought struck me. We have a courtyard?

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The House Velbrun estate that I had been familiar with, now garnished with the blues and browns of House Tribus, was larger than I remembered, with hallways and rooms made of fresher stone that had been expertly attached to the older building.

Two entire new wings expanded outwards, wrapping around the property I had been expecting, with an open courtyard in the center of it all, a beautiful garden arranged all around me as I stepped out onto the cobblestone path that spiderwebbed throughout it.

"These flowers…" I admired the bright colors of the different Certillian breeds, feeling somewhat at a loss at identifying them all, but stopped and kneeled as recognition blossomed at the sight of some of them.

They were beautiful teal rose-like flowers, scattered throughout the garden amongst the brilliant arrangement. Jagged petals with thorny stems, like that of a cactus.

"Those are my favorite," Macy said, kneeling right beside me but sounding distant.

They were natakias, the flower that my daughter was named after. They were so popular in Rusk that in some tribes it was considered dishonorable to propose without one in hand as a gift for your lover.

I swallowed, feeling my eyes burning wet. "How are these here?"

The natakias were frustrating flowers to grow, often needing ample room to truly flourish, but requiring just the right amount of rain and heat to not die before they bloom.

"Dalton had them brought here," Macy sighed. "It was before Natakia, well, left. The gardener is high-class, apparently has dryad in his blood or something."

Dryad? No, that wasn't of importance at the moment. I admired the beauty of the flowers and silently sent my thanks to all the hard work to bring them here.

"I will find them, Macy," I said. "No matter the paths they walk."