Pyrrha Ulster had not felt pride in a long time, it was not simple pride of ego but rather a pride one self, a healthy self respect. Ever since Chris's mother's dark side had almost killed her mother and seduced her father to the ranks of traitors, she had become a miserable and loathsome husk of a Elf.

She had turned on Chris and Joan, her two oldest friends who had suffered just as much as she had at the hands of a spectre of their own mother. She had found no problem in bullying a sickly Chris and her actions had almost resulted in his death.

It was then that things changed, people around her began to get less tolerant of her foul personality and they shunned her. Her family has tried to remain pleasant with her, but Pyrrha could see it in their eyes, exhaustion. Exhaustion from a mother still recovering from near fatal wounds, exhaustion from a father who had betrayed everything that he stood for and lastly exhaustion for a daughter who was no better than a thug.

That was truly what broke her out of her egotistical spell, the reality that her family was just tired of her new rude personality and the tarnishing of their already damaged reputation by her. In response she did the only thing that she could, she ran away.

She joined the knights corp to escape her family and she effectively became nomad, moving from one military base to another, just to avoid her family and to find some peace away from her tainted reputation. That was how life would have gone for her until she ran into Chris and the others in the Dunara province.

That changed her life and sent her on an adventure across different realities and against a foe who threatened all life on Jord. But that wasn't as important as her saving Chris's life, regaining her pride as she repaid that mark which stained her for so long.

She had finally been able to return to her home with head held high and return to the embrace of her mother and brothers. Looking at herself, she looked far different in dress as her old armor was replaced by that which her mother had donned in her own youth.

The spear in her hand was also a family heirloom, one that she had abandoned a long time ago, Gae-Lugh, the spear of one her venerated ancestors. She wore boots which had small black wings, a gift from the king himself.

She smiled as she thought about just how much her life had turned over in simply two months. Her musing died as a wave of reality slammed into her and she remembered just where she was. All around her, the sounds of loud vibrant music and the rowdy merry cheering of crowds assaulted her senses.

The port city of the Hephatantian people had large enough roads that three thousand of the Vipers crew could march through it's streets under the showers of it's people confetti and rapturous cheering.

Looking around her from either end of the street she could see people screaming their lungs out in joy, waving at them and some reached out just to get a touch of the marching foreing troops. There were of course the occasional mad man or woman who offered kisses and even flashed their half naked forms at them.

Pyrrha looked to the head of their column where the crown princess herself led the procession. Ishtar was the image of royal grace and standing directly behind her was Chris. He had been gifted the honour of carrying a large polearm with the flag of Avalon draped upon it and proudly flattering in the wind.

Pyrrha focused on the young man who it seemed fate had forever linked her to in someway. She studied how even if slightly nervous, he still projected an image of stoic strength, the very symbol of their people held up by both his hands.... and Pyrrha immediately looked away from him.

Her traitours mind had wondered back to this morning and she felt her face heat up from the memory of his wet half naked body which was now imprinted into her mind. She nervously swallowed her saliva as she remembered just about every part of his wet body in perfect memory and she could feel her body burn in barely held back lust.

"I am not some green girl, why exactly am I feeling like this. " she thought as she tried and failed to get rid of certain thoughts that made her body burn even hotter.

The march ended at the center of the city where a great platform stood and upon it stood the Hephatantian leaders in their finest clothing. Many of them stood with great smiles... though Pyrrha noticed a few who stood with angry scowls as they observed the approaching Avalonian army.

The parade paused as they reached the base of the platform and Ishtar walked up to it with Chris and the two Vortiguard whom she had noticed standing outside of Ishtar's door.

A great elf stood before them and he enthustically shook the hands of both royal children as if this was the first time that he had seen them.

"Damn politicians." Pyrrha thought as she remembered the overdramatic actions of the politicians from back home.

"My brother's and sister's, did we not tell you that our hard won freedom against the oppressors of the Lunar Empire would not go unnoticed to the rest of the civilized world." the elf loudly declared to the masses who cheered even louder and almost shook the very tarmac earth that they stood upon. "From the west, Avalon has answered our call and they come here to join us against the true enemies."

"Enemies?" Pyrrha thought in suprise. "I thought that we only have one damn enemy to fight. Who else are we fighting for them?"

Pyrrha didn't have to look at every other Avalonian solider who stood besides her to tell that they had a similar face of confusion as they looked at the grinning politician and the Avalonians who stood besides him.

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One thing Pyrrha could say about the Hephatantian people is that they could keep a party going. From the top floor of the hotel room which Chris had been gifted, Pyrrha had a eagle eyed view of the colourful and vibrant spectacles going on below.

If she looked down and concentrated enough, she could see some Avalonians staggering out of bars tipsy from how much alcohol they had consumed or other's joining the colourful musical groups in the streets in both singing and dancing.

"I know, I wish that I was down there too." Hamanymu said to her.

"What makes you think that I want to be down there?"

"Your looking down at it like a child would at a theme park if they had been denied entry. It is pretty obvious when you want something." Ursa now spoke after tearing her eyes from the Grimoire that she had been gifted by the King and Queen themselves.

Ever since that moment, the only place one would consistently find Ursa was in the Library constantly studying this text. Pyrrha had known that Ursa loved learning the arcane arts before, but with just meticulous the purple Knight was she was beginning to wonder if Ursa would be better served transferring to the Magical Corps department.

"Can't say that I blame you, I would love to be down there as well." Hamanymu said wistfully.

He was seated opposite of Thor and the two appeared to be playint a card game of some kind. Hamanymu wasn't having much trouble in his game as Thor bore a horrible poker face. Pyrrha had never seen anyone so incapable of making a neutral or even faking one.

"I win yet another round." Hamanymu declared with a grin as he placed the cards in his hands upon the table and Thor scowled in frustration.

"I am beginning to hate this game." the red haired giant of the team grumbled.

"Took you long enough. One would have imagined that the ten loses in a roll would have beaten that into you." Chris finally spoke upon the rooms bed.

"I won a round." Thor protested.

Chris scoff with an uncharacteristic eyeroll as he uttered sarcastically. "And that makes those loses okay then."

Pyrrha was confused as she looked at her teammate who looked tired but yet didn't fall asleep on the bed that he was currently laying upon. He had fallen asleep on it before, when the Hephatantian leader finally finished his speech four hours ago. Chris had slept for only thirty minutes before he abruptly awoke, his face covered in sweat, his eyes bulging and gasping from short breath.

Pyrrha was sure that he had a nightmare, but whatever this awful dream was, it left Chris unwilling to return to sleep and more prickly as his sleep deprivation increased. They had tried to ask him what this horrible dream was, but Chris's answers were passive aggressive deflections.

"I should probably do something other than stare wistfully out of the window." She as she grabbed the remote control and began flipping through the Hephatantian television stations which were all covering their arrival to the port city of Vant.

" The news is loving us." she muttered as passed through more channels before reaching one in which a newscaster was speaking about something else.

"... This is the fourth sea fortress of the Lunar Empire reported to have been captured by the forces of the kingdom of Avalon... Reports are coming in the infamous Admiral, Rory Magdo has died in the attack."

"The troops at home have been busy." Pyrrha stated. " They have moved out faster than I honestly expected."

"As was to be expected after what they did, and with Joan and my mother at the forefront of the forces. Oh Lunar empire, how I almost pity thee." Chris snickered

Pyrrha flinched as her mind drew an image of her oldest/enemy at the head of every Avalonian vanguard, leaving a trail of burnt corpses and bringing hell itself upon her enemies. She had learnt to fear her old friend in younger bullish days.

"How long do we have to wait." Chris said in irritation finally getting off the bed.

Ishtar had forbade them from joining their fellow knights in the pure concentrated merriment across the streets of Vant. They were to have dinner with the Hephatantian delegation and their leader Hanno Magnus, yet the sun had gone down and noone had come to pick them up.

"I know man, I am starving." Hamanymu grumbled whilst his stomach rumbled.

"Do you always think about food." Ursa snapped in disgust.

"Hey, you have your books, I have my food. Let's not judge each others vices."

Ursa snapped her book shoot and an expression of outrage was etched upon her face. "My books are not a vice."

"Oh please, you always have your Grimoires with you. I bet you even read those things when sleeping...."

Ursa smirked and Hamanymu paused as if he had just realised a trap that he had slipped into. "Oh, suddenly I am the only one who reads book whilst sleeping. I appear to be missing a book on Animu..."

Thankfully for Hamanymu the door saved him as a loud knock echoed through the room. Everyone halted from what they were doing and Pyrrha arose with Gae-Assail in hand and she opened the door which revealed a Vortiguard. Pyrrha recognised her, she was Jane Kil something... she knew that she liked to talk.

"Prince Christian, team Phantom, hello." Jane waved at them with a wide grin. "I have been sent to pick you up for the Hephatantian dinner."

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Pyrrha remembered that Jane liked to but after spending close to five minutes in an elevator with her, she was tempted to use her spear and fall upon it. The others felt the same as well from their faces of barely contained agony. Jane didn't seem to notice as she yamered on about some Night Terror that she had hunted a few years ago.

Thankfully the elevator door finally opened and as they walked out, a elf stomped passed them rather recklessly, even bumping into Chris's shoulder rather roughly as they entered the elevator.

"Hey, watch it!" Chris shouted in anger and the elf paused before turning to face him with a scowl upon his face that stopped as the elf looked at him as if he was looking at a ghost.

The elf opened his mouth to speak but only a wheezing sound left his mouth. Sweat rolled off his face as if a bucket of water had been dumped on his head and his eyes were so wide Pyrrha feared that his eyeballs would simply roll out of the socket.

"A simple I am sorry would be nice."

"I owe you no apology, you Twelmp pawn! " the Elf spat out before turning and entering the elevator and as the elevators doors closed, Pyrrha swore that the elf was giving them a glare so hateful and filled with such venom that it could slay a mythical creature.

"What in all the heavens is that?" Ursa asked flabbergasted.

"Nothing more than partisan. The party in power now and the ones who want an alliance with us are the Twelmp and the likes of the Helmp would rather kick us off the island." Jane responded in a colder voice than her usual bubbly voice.

"We should watch out for those." Pyrrha thought.

Everyone turned to walk away but only Chris remained fixated upon the earth which he stood with eyes focused on the elevator. Everyone looked at eachother in confusion and so Pyrrha walked towards Chris who remained in a trance like state and pocked him with her finger.

Chris seemed startled as if he had just been shaken out of a deep slumber and realising exactly what was happening. He looked at them in suprise and no one needed to say anything to ask the question. "What Is wrong."

"Its... do you guys feel the cold breeze swimming through the air... it's almost like... almost like..." Chris paused as if unable to dredge up the word.

"Your magic might be acting up." Ursa nervously stated. "I mean your elemental magic is ice, so maybe that is it."

"Maybe." Chris said, though he didn't seem to believe it.

The rest of the walk to the meeting room was almost unnaturally silent as they all thought about the unnerving blank expression that had sat upon Chris's face, even Jane the talkative Vortiguard remained silent. They finally arrived to the top floor of the skyscraper which granted one a full view of the city of Vant.

The room was quite spacious with more than three hundred people occupying it. A air of merriment lay heavily upon the air as the guests chatted, drunk what Pyrrha cu only guess were alcohols of Many kinds, ate seafood delicious and danced to the smooth sound of the orchestra who played the t left side of the room.

At the end of the room was a large wooden table placed upon a pavilion upon which sat the Hephatantian high council Hanno Magnus taking the central seat with some of his council men and women seated to his right while Ishtar took a seat next to him while some Avalonian high ranking officials sat to the left.

"Prince Christian, we welcome your presence." the High Council loudly declared after downing an entire cup of wine in one go.

" It is my pleasure to be here High Council." Chris answered as he bowed his head. "You guys can go and mingle, I will deal with our host."

Chris didn't wait for their response and watching him walk away Pyrrha couldn't help but feel like something was wrong about her friend.