He walked through a stone corridor with Halmond leading the way. A slew of candles hung from the walls. Their tiny flames caused their shadows to move around at multiple angles.

From a room deeper down the hall, a man coughed aloud. It was a muffled kind of cough that was quite hoarse and unpleasant sounding.

Their coughing became louder the closer they neared the source of it. When they reached a wooden door to their right, Halmond knocked several times.

The door opened and a woman in a maid outfit gestured for them to go inside.

Lucias was in bed with several attendants by his side. They wiped the sweat from his brow and appeared to take great care of him. A warm hearth not far from his bedside kept the inside all nice and cozy for him.

He’s certainly seen better days. At least he has all of them to give him aid. It appeared that even familiars could get sick much like humans. He had never seen one sick before.

Compared to his usual complexion—which was already quite pale—his skin was oddly discolored. As he walked closer to him with Halmond, the veins on his head appeared much more obvious as well. Candlelight revealed a sweaty sheen to his skin.

Lucias began to cough once more. A maid came to assist him but instead paused as Lucias held up his hand. “I’m fine,” he said in a tired voice. “You may all go for now.”

One of them dropped a pitcher of water off by a table near his bedside before leaving. Within a dozen seconds or more, the only people who remained inside Lucias’s bed-chamber were Kiran, Halmond, and Lucias himself.

With the help of a large puffy pillow, Lucias was able to sit up a little on his bed. He smiled at Kiran only to end up coughing once more.

Halmond pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him. His coughing sounded much worse up close.

“Forgive me for my current state of being. It seems I have become quite ill.” The way he spoke was far from the confident voice he normally possessed. “But don’t worry. I can assure, that you shouldn’t worry about getting sick from me. This sickness is not contagious, I promise you.”

That’s good to hear. “I didn’t realize familiars could even get sick.”

“Yes, well, when you’re me, the normal rules don’t apply.” He drank from a cup before continuing to speak. “I’m glad you decided to visit me at this hour. I know it’s quite sudden, but there is much we must speak about, even if my body is pleading for me to get more rest.” He sat the cup down and eyed Halmond. “I wish to speak with him alone.”

Halmond bowed his head and promptly left. The door opened and then calmly shut leaving just the two of them.

“Let me first begin by thanking you. From what I have been told, you’re the reason why I didn’t attack my own people and destroy everything that still stands in Valak.”

“I accept your thanks, but all I did was stand there in your way.”

“Nonetheless, sometimes that is all it takes. One man who dares to plant their feet on the ground and stand athwart to a much greater force. Though I struggle to recall anything from when I took on that form, I can remember faint glimpses of what must be you standing there fearless of me.”

Kiran certainly didn’t feel fearless. He was fighting against all of his instincts to run away but he wasn’t going to interrupt Lucias in his perception of himself in that maddening moment to tell him differently.

“I also sensed something different about you as well,” he said furthermore. He twisted his head a little as his two red eyes blinked twice. “I’ve found you to be quite a bit different than the rest you accompany.”

“Different how?”

“Must I speculate?” A slight grin erupted across his face. “Oh fine then. Let me explain what I mean. There’s, how should I say it, a strange presence around you. It’s subtle and almost unnoticeable, and yet, it is there. I’ve sensed it since I first saw you. I didn’t think much of it at first, but I can’t seem to ignore it any longer. Answer me truthfully Kiran. You’re not like the rest of them are you?”

“I’m not.” Rather than lie or withhold things from him, he chose to tell the truth. When he had first met Lucias, he wasn’t sure what to make of him. Was he the scourge that Lady Meredith had warned him about? Was he evil or something that deserved to be feared?

So far, Kiran didn’t get that impression of him. If anything Lucias was quite level-headed and not at all what people from the western territories viewed him as. Although he was a Divine Familiar and responsible for causing harm to his own city to some degree along with its people, he still saved them all by ultimately defeating Noreko. He had already played a major role in destroying Liall. Thankfully he hadn’t succeeded in also destroying Valak.

“I thank you for your honesty,” Lucias said. “I understand that those of us who are unlike most others are often tempted to keep the realities of ourselves a secret. If I may inquire a little further though,” he said with his eyes squinting ever so slightly, “what about you makes you unique compared to them?”

Kiran let out a sigh. “Where do I even begin?”

He could tell that Lucias was quite amused and interested in himself. Knowing he likely wasn’t planning on getting out of bed anytime soon, Kiran pulled up a chair and began to inform him of his strange life. He wasn’t going to tell him every little detail, but he would give him enough to get a good picture of things.

As he told him about how he died and came back many years later, his eyes widened. “I find this to be quite unbelievable.”

“It’s very much the truth.”

After learning about that and a few other additional details that made him unique, such as his ability to tap into his or other people’s souls, Lucias held a finger to his chin. “You’re quite the peculiar human. I didn’t even begin to consider that you might be even more unique than myself. Oh and don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that you can use soul magic. I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression of you.”

That was some relief although he wouldn’t have told him about it if he didn’t think he couldn’t trust him in the first place.

“I think it’s fair,” Lucias went on to say, “for people to be wary of beings like us. Those of us who are not the average mortal and those of us who wield unusual power have a long record of causing all sorts of problems. Given that, I find it reasonable to view us with extreme skepticism.” In many ways, Kiran wasn’t sure whether he ought to disagree. A part of him wanted to, but at the same time, if he were to be truly honest with himself, he’d exercise skepticism towards himself too if he was just some regular person seeing things from the outside.

Lucias went on. “If I saw who I am whilst in my Divine form from an outsider’s perspective, I wouldn’t view beings like myself favorably. And I most certainly cannot deny what I am. When I am not in this form, I am little more than a monster. I have very little control or the capability to know what I am even doing. You managed to somehow allow me to become cognizant enough to change back, but if you hadn’t, there’s no telling what I would’ve done.” His gaze became quite sullen and dark. “It would’ve been a massacre. That’s all I can know for sure.”

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Kiran certainly understood why he was so hesitant to use his power against the banespawn, even as they assaulted his city and took control of the lower sector. There was simply just too much risk. But once Noreko came into the picture, he saw no other option than to unleash himself.

“Tell me truthfully Kiran. If things calm down here eventually, what will you do then?”

“I haven’t had much time to think about it.”

“You haven’t?”

“If I stopped to think about things, I’d never get anything done.”

Lucias nodded his head. “I can see what you mean, but it’s important at least if you ask me, to stop to think a little every once in a while. We’re oft to carry onward in the wrong direction potentially if we don’t.”

Once things calmed down, he’d start to think more about the future. Right now though, he couldn’t get lost in a sea of his own thoughts. He just had to focus and stay on the right course so that they even had a future to begin with.

Kiran folded his arms. “I wanted to ask you about what’s to be done about Lady Meredith.”

“I’m never that fond of talking about her, but yes, we cannot ignore her entirely. I assume you’re planning on resuming that whole matter soon?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure how we resolve this matter without causing a lot of death for both sides.”

“It’s a little late for that. She’s made her intentions quite clear, has she not? She will gladly sacrifice all of us to maintain her daughter’s livelihood. We must do everything to stop her. I would take direct actions against her if I could, but as you already know, it’s best I don’t personally get involved. Although, I will give you and your coalition whatever resources you need to put an end to this madness of hers.”

“I’m afraid that if we head back west, we’re sure to encounter a lot more of her people on the way there. What kind of numbers does she have?”

“Not very many in the grand scheme of things. Neither of our populations are large enough to securely defend all of our lands simultaneously. I imagine if you’re careful, you should be able to sneak your way around like you did before, but obviously, you are more likely to encounter trouble.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about. She’s not just going to leave that cave undefended like she did beforehand. She knows we know of its whereabouts. And she’s got people capable of using magic somehow. We’ll be dead if we confront her again like he did previously.”

He furrowed his brows a little. He wiped away the sweat on his brow and sighed. “Fine then. I will accompany you all.”

“You will?”

“I suppose I have little choice. Obviously, I will need to start to feel better first, but yes I will more personally involve myself in this matter rather than remaining absent. Just know that you’ll all be in a lot of danger if I end up having to change into my Divine form to resolve the matter myself.”

Which was likely considering what they were up against. Lady Meredith didn’t just have one powerful person capable of wielding magic. She had a whole arsenal of arcane roots to give to people if she really wanted to bolster her side’s strength against whatever force they put up against her.

“Don’t you have some arcane roots that we could use? If you were to allow us to use them, that could give us the edge we need to defeat her. At the very least, it’ll allow us to do all of the heavy lifting ourselves.”

Kiran wouldn’t ask if he didn’t think the situation necessitated it. The arcane roots Lucias had were incredibly crucial to everyone in Valak. They were what provided them with the means to grow food and sustain themselves. “Under any other circumstance, I would say no, but if it gives us the power to win, then it matters little whether we burn right through our reserves. If we can rid ourselves of this darkness, we’ll no longer have need of them.”

Kiran was a bit surprised to hear how willing he was to use them for this purpose. But given that they had an actual plan that should get rid of the darkness for good, they didn’t have to worry so much about not having arcane roots. Although, if they lost, then that would be a major problem for them.

It just meant that no matter what, they could not lose. They had to win against whatever opposition Lady Meredith and her people put up. Kiran just hoped that it wouldn’t lead to a bloodbath. They needed to do everything in their power to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

Kiran certainly disagreed and outright found Lady Meredith’s actions reprehensible, but he struggled to have the passion to spill blood, even if it was against people who arguably deserved it.

For a while, Lucias maintained his composure, but his illness made it difficult. He began to cough once more. He ordered his servants to come back in to lend him a hand. “Let us continue this at a later time Kiran.”

As he saw him being taken care of as he got up and prepared to leave, he felt somewhat jealous. Being a person in his position certainly came with undeniable perks.

He left his bedchamber and eventually exited out through the stone corridor. When he made it outside he ended up catching the attention of Silvy who appeared a little worried.

“What’s going on? Is something the matter?”

“Well,” she said with a puff of her rosy cheeks. “Possibly. Let’s walk.”

He walked with her as they had the keep behind them. “Do you remember yesterday when it seemed like no one knew where Juna was?”

“Yeah. Has she still not shown up?”

She shook her head.

“You don’t think—”

“There aren’t any signs of a struggle or anything. She’s just disappeared so we’ve started to gather some of our people to go out and look for her.”

He hadn’t thought much of her not showing up. He figured eventually she’d reappear like always. This time was different. She hadn’t been seen by anyone for at least an entire day which didn’t exactly sound good to him.

A part of him felt guilty not putting a little more thought or concern towards her immediately after defeating Noreko and dealing with Lucias’s divine form. Perhaps she was fine and nothing was wrong. At the same time, he didn’t have a good feeling about this.

She hadn’t been acting right for a long time, and to suddenly go missing after the assault on Valak could mean a whole multitude of things. Without speculating too much on her current whereabouts or condition, he would begin a search with Silvy.

“Hey,” he said telepathically. “Have you seen Juna anywhere?”

“No,” Lar said telepathically. “Has she still not shown up?”

“It appears not. I’m going to start looking for her. Can you start doing so as well?”

“Sure. Where would you like me to start?”

“Silvy and I are going to begin searching the upper sector. Can you begin looking at the south side of the middle sector?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll let you know if I find her.”

He paused for a moment and got Silvy’s attention as they stood near a brazier lighting up a statue of a man holding up a sword. “Lar’s going to start searching for us.”

“Good,” she said. “I already let a few others know to start searching as well. Did she say anything to you that you can recall before she disappeared?”

“I don’t recall anything,” he said as they continued to walk together again. “My entire focus at that time was on dealing with Lucias at the wall.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll find her somewhere. She’s probably just passed out somewhere after having to fight for so long.”

“Let’s hope so.”

He wanted to be as optimistic as her, but optimism had failed him enough that he had to keep it in check.

No matter what, he’d try to find her even if it took all day. She was an important friend to him and many others so it would be the least that he and them could do for her.

Wherever you are Juna. We’ll find you. He just held onto enough hope that she wasn’t in danger or somehow dead. He didn’t want to imagine that she had somehow fallen and they hadn’t been there to prevent it.