Across the deck of the four hundred meter long battleship known as the Viper stood close to five thousand Asikari and two thousand Knights. Under the assault of the cold stinging Christmas winds, they stood defiant.

Gathered in orderly columns from the highest ranking in the front and the lowest ranking in the back. Their captain or admiral stood at the head and it was Ishtar Ddraig, the crown princess of Avalon.

Christian Ddraig her brother stood a few meters behind her with the Argentum third class soldiers. He was thankfull to be so far back and protected from the attention of everyone in the back.

They all faced not just Ishtar, but his parents, King Roland Ddraig and Queen Natalia Ddraig, who stood with their Vortiguard around them and the great Paladins stood alongside them....well not all of them.

Try as he might, Chris could not pick off the Paladin of secrets and spymaster of Silver Hawk, Pierce Dolton.

"Is he even here, knowing him, he might actually be in the Lunar Empires territory right now. " he thought, though he could not be sure.

Though there were more than soldiers and royalty upon the deck of this massive vessel. For politicians and the media had flocked her with the urgency of flies to an open bag of sugar.

"....I am honoured to stand before you all my brothers and sisters. Long have we sought peace from all the continuous wars of the past, the Phantom King, the Dragon wars, the.... the copy...." his father awkwardly stopped as he came about the part where he referenced to his wife's dark half. "... and the destruction of the old ocean of reality. I had hoped that after all this we would rest and rebuild, but alas, our new neighbour to the north will not allow such a thing..."

Chris instinctively brought his hand to his chest which had began itching and he remembered the Nexus of Narratives and how he had almost been killed so many times.

"But we need not worry any longer, for there are others who have agreed to join us in a pact against the Lunar Empires privations. To the east, we have found willing ears and this great vessel, this viper shall act as our arm to solidify our connections with our new neighbours. Go forward sons and daughters of Avalon and be the shield of our allies and the sword which breaks our enemies."

Everyone began cheering madly upon the deck and across the port below, multiple fireworks were sent out into the air to commemorate this official dubbing of their sea journey.

Ishtar walked up to the platform besides their parents, her form brimming with confidence. She turned to face them and drew her blade which she raised to the air before loudly declaring.

"Avalonians, where do we fight?!" she shouted.

"Within the Night with Terrors slain .... Within the Night with Terrors slain .... Within the Night with Terrors slain!" they all chanted back that most ancient of battle mantras from the first Night Terror Incursion.

Looking around he saw everyone from Ursa to Thor standing proudly and adding their voices to a chorus that shook the very heavens themselves and Chris was excited for this adventure.

XXXXXXX

After the officiating, all of the officials and journalists had a small snak party on the deck while the soldiers had to go below and prepare the Viper for its maiden voyage, which was no more than a hour away.

Chris and Ishtar had not joined any of the two parties. Before he could go below deck to his cabin, his older sibling brought her hand upon his shoulder, surprising him.

"Come, Mother and Father want to talk to us," she whispered into his ear and Chris relaxed, letting her pull him away.

As she did, he noticed that intermixed with the crowds were his friends. Hamanymu had a scowl, almost like he was being struck by a headache, Thor bore an absent minded expression upon his face. But strangest of all was Ursa and Pyrrha who were chatting excitedly with eachother.

"Since when are those two buddy, buddy." he thought as he followed Ishtar down the deck of the Viper and through the dull grey corridors that snaked through this battleship like blood vessels.

"Why do they want to see us?" Chris asked Ishtar.

"Hell if I know, but I am ready to just get out of this place," Ishtar responded with a deep sigh. "My nerves are killing me."

"You, nervous?" he jokingly asked he with a playful punch to her shoulders. "You were Queen just a month ago."

"Dosent make what I am being asked to do any better. How I handle this could make and break our future military plans." Ishtar ran her hands through the blue locks in her head.

This feature as well as their distinct golden eyes were a feature all members of the Ddraig bloodline shared from their grandmothers half Fae heritage. Though Ishtar had the distinctive golden body lines of a Fae, a sign of just much more close she was to that part of their family legacy.

"I reckon you will ace this. You are not called the goddess of war for nothing."

"I hope that you are right."

"Have some faith in yourself. Am I not enough or do I need to call Joan." he teased.

"Please don't, the last thing that I need is our resident firebrand yelling at me and burning down my ship before I have so much as set off." of course Ishtar was teasing, they both would have been overjoyed if their youngest sibling and Chris's twin was here with them.

"Sucks that she couldn't with us." Chris said as his minded drifted to thoughts of what Joan Ddraig was thinking.

"I tried to ask her to come along, but you know Joan, she would never settle for anything other than being in the front lines of the second push." Ishtar spoke with a grin and Chris was sure that they both imagined their sister at the head of their north western forces bringing hell down upon all of their enemies.

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Their journey took them to a door where ten men and women clad in a similar looking gold and red plate armour stood. At their head was a mountain of a man dressed in a similar type of armour, though his was coloured gold and white.

These were the Vortiguard, the guards of the King and Queen and their leader was both of their rank and that of the greatest warriors in all of Avalon, a Paladin.

Looking at the Vortiguard, Chris felt a sting to his heart as he realised that he only recognised four faces. The remaining six were recently appointed members, as after both the battles of the Grey Lands and the Nexus of Narratives, many in this once legendary company had died.

Chris had never known them personally, but during his time kept in the capital, Asalon by his mother, he always greeted and made small talk with the Vortiguard every time that he passed the throne room.

"Your graces." Hector, the Paladin of Defense acknowledged them in his usual deep booming voice.

The Paladin was physically a specimen of a man and the solid bronze spear in his hands. He used to have a shield, but Chris had not seen him with since the fighting last month.

"Lord Hector, it is good to see you again." he responded.

"Likewise." the Paladin smiled and quickly returned to a cold stoic expressing.

He then took a step to the right, leaving the door to the captain's cabin open for them, and what a cabin it was. Chris was almost jealous when he beheld the massive bed and bookshelf stacked with all manner of books

"They even added a ivory table with that big a window?" he thought as he looked around the room which was honestly bigger and better than the small cabin that he would be sharing with Hamanymu and Thor.

"Mother, Father." Ishtar nervously said drawing him out his simmering envy.

Standing next to the bed was the blue haired second king of Avalon, Roland Ddraig. Dressed in his green and gold armour with a lion pelt resting upon his shoulders like a cape, he was the picture of an imposing monarch, even without his gold crown.

It was from him that the Ddraig children got their distinct blue hair and golden eyes. Though one could not miss the facial structures that they inherited from the black haired queen besides him in a sea blue armour.

Natalia Ddraig looked happier than she had been in a long time. Chris mentally chuckled as he thought about what his past self one month ago would have thought about the idea of his mother willingly letting go on a mission like this.

She walked towards them and betraying her smaller frame, the second strongest person in Avalon wrapped her arms around brother and sister in an almost crushing vice grip of a hug.

"I am going to miss you two." Natalia Ddraig whispered as she squeezed every bit of that hug as she could without cracking her offspring.

"Mo.... mom... mother.... moth... mom... mother please... we can't... we can't breathe." they both pleaded as all the air was pushed out of their lungs by their mothers constricting arms.

"Okay Natalia, please let the children go before you break them." their father spoke in-between his hysterical laughter at their plight.

Their mother finally let them both go and both Ddraig siblings crumpled to their knees and gasped greedily for air. Though each breath was difficult on account of their bruised mid sections.

"I am sorry." Natalia Ddraig apologized to the two of them.

"It's okay, we will miss you too mother." Ishtar said whilst dry coughing.

"I guess that I just got over excited, it's just that none of the have ever flown too far from the nest." the Queen said, her face pink from embarrassment as she helped both her children back to their feet.

Of course her statement was total bullocks to Chris's ears. He had flown from the nest further than anyone of siblings. In fact he had been stranded in a completely different universe also known as earth for close to five years, but he didn't feel like correcting his mother over that little fact.

Instead he said. "Don't feel too bad, you have Joan with you on the front lines."

Their mother groaned and threw her hands in a dramatic display of exhaustion. "I am already feeling the wrinkle lines from trying to control your sister and stopping her from doing something stupid."

Chris truly pitted her, he knew exactly how insane and agrassive his younger twin was. Which had always felt like a parody, for a person who had joined that rare rank of truly enlightened who could use Divine energy was an angry, shouty twister of hyperactive emotions.

"Well, you have dad with you to help with that. Isn't that right father?" he asked their father who suddenly found the carpets very interesting while giving an clearly none committal.

"Yeah, sure."

See why I am worried." their mother said with a unimpressed facial expression plastered on her face.

"Oh come on, I am not that bad." their father protested.

"Sure you are dear." Natalia Ddraig kept a sly smile on her face as she teased her husband. "Anyway, you two... please take care of yourselves and eachother."

"Of course, mother." they replied in union.

"Ishtar, I know that your brother will hate me saying this, but please look out for him. He has a habit for doing things that almost end with him dying."

Chris was tempted to protest the Queen's accusations, but then he remembered just how near death battles he had risked just one month ago and he sort of saw her point....of course he would never openly admit to such a thing.

"And Christian, look out for your sister. The responsibilities that are on her shoulders is great indeed and it will become heavy in future. She will need someone to help her carry it then." she continued and Ishtar tightened her lips, knowing full well that their mother was right. "Above all, just don't do anything to dangerous that isn't necessary at all."

"Of course, mother." once again did they respond, but Chris could bring himself to believe that their journey would be so smooth.

She took a step back and their father nervously stepped forward with a small green sack in his hands. He placed it on the floor and took a deep breath before addressing his children.

"I have never been that good at goodbyes. Your mother has probably said everything that she needs to and more... but, I would just like to say that I am proud of you two and no matter what happens out there, remember to stick to yourselves. The journey might not be easy, but you are Ddraig's united, with your mother's stubborn fury and my charming good-looks you will prevail."

They both snorted as they tried their best to hold back a rousing laughter in their throats and just like that, Chris and Ishtar Ddraig were in so much of a good mood to think about any sort of looming dread for their voyage.

"But before you go, I have a few gifts for you." Roland Ddraig said excitedly as he placed the small green sack on the floor and undid the knot wrapped around the head of the sack.

"A sack with gifts on Christmas, how very Fatherly Christmas of you." Ishtar snickered at their father who simply grinned.

"That and he wanted to show off his latest creations." Natalia Ddraig added to her daughter's statement.

"Creations?" Chris asked in suprise.

"You will see soon."

Roland then reached into the sack and he pulled out an emerald rope from within the sack. The rope glowed with a faint hue and Chris saw occasional cracklings of green electrons.

"This is the whip of power.... I know that the name isn't good, but it is a near indestructible rope that you use to shock people with."

Chris knew that his father had always been trying to further develop his knowledge in creating enchantments and enchanted weaponry. It his parents who had created the very coros which enhanced their strengths and life spans. As well as many of Avalons most legendary magical items which traced themselves back to the first King and Queens workshop.

The very swords that hang on their belts were testimonials to that. Wither they be divine weapon weapon, bow or even a copy of either.

"So this is his attempt." Chris thought as he watched Ishtar caress the Whip of Power in awe.

Roland then reached into the sack once more and pulled out a crate that was too large for the sack, it was as if the sack led to another space.

"This is a bit of a suprise for you." he said to Ishtar. "It is for your team. I know that you haven't had one of those in a long time but, with you as the Captain of this voyage, you will need a guard retinue and I figured that giving them gifts might serve as a good icebreaker for you."

Ishtar was rightfully surprised by this gesture and so she quickly drew their father into a short hug.

"Thank you." she said warmly as she let go of him.

"It's all I could do." Roland said before turning his attention to Chris and pulling yet another item from the sack.

This time it was necklace made from plain silver, though at its center was a blue rock with a golden eye painted at its center. Chris received it and the moment it made contact with his hands, even within gauntlets, it sent an electric shiver running up his spine.

"What Is this?"

"I call it the Eye of Winter. I managed to condense a blizzard and trap it within the necklace. If you are ever in danger, it will triple your strength."

"Thank you father." he whispered as he placed the necklace around his neck and he could instantly feel the potent amounts of magical energy resting on his person.

"Thank me when I am done. I also have some gifts for your teammates." Roland then began pulling out separate items, rather than one entire crate.

The first thing that he pulled out was a brown leather book with purple runic markings running across its body. "I was informed that Ursa Tudor was interested in Wizardry. I am not so knowledgeable in the versatility of Wizardry, but I was able to acquire one of Victor's many Grimoires."

Chris could not believe it as he accepted the Grimoire. He could only imagine just how pleased Ursa would be once he gave her a Grimoire that belonged to the Legendary Victor Destiny, the Paladin of Magic.

The next object pulled out was a cowskin shield made from the hide of a scarlet beast with golden bars used instead of wood. "This shield was forged from the hide of star bull, few physical blows and magical hexes will get past it. I hope that Hamanymu Mulengu will accept it."

What followed next were a pair of orange and blue gauntlets with runes engraved into their side. "These gauntlets are for Thor Hadrada. They will double his strength and size in battle."

Chris felt a little jealous as he accepted them. He valued the gift his father had given him, but having a blizzard on your neck was far too vague to simply growing and getting stronger.

"And at last, these are for Pyrrha, she has always wanted to fly like her mother." he pulled out a pare of boots with small black wings attached to the ankles.

Looking at this gift from his father to Pyrrha of all people told him that he should be upset, but Chris wasn't sure how to feel about his old childhood friend turned childhood bully and now current teammate.

"This is going to be a long trip." he thought.