Irinia had wanted to join the battle, but with her limited magic, she knew that she would not have been much help. Besides, using magic and being on a battlefield would not have been a good look for the woman who was going to be Ursulam's next queen. Thus, Valerius had ordered her to stand far back and observe. Part of her was happy that she would not have to kill anyone, though another part still wished to take part. Kasper had joined up with the forces from Souster, picking up a spare bow and arrows. Where Joakim had gone, she did not know.

  So, she found a hill some distance away and sat on a rock underneath a tree that grew there while watching the battle.

  It was Valerius that she worried about, and for a large part of the battle, she spent her time trying to keep track of him. Eventually, she could not do this anymore, the distance being too great and the chaos too much. When the wolf-like beast appeared on the field and charged into the fray, she resorted to praying. In her mind, there was nothing else that she could do. The forces at work on the field were too powerful for her to do anything about, so turning to her gods seemed the only course of action she could take.

  She prayed that Valerius would be safe and that they would find Azara safe and sound. She prayed that she would be heard, and that like in Notting where Sitari had spoken to her, Irinia prayed that she would receive a response. She also prayed for Joakim and Kasper. For the people in the city. For Ursulam.

  It was in the midst of these prayers that she heard a powerful blast from the city. She recognized the sound. She opened her eyes and raised her head from prayer to see a dragon near the palace. Irinia watched in fright as the red dragon which she had seen on the mountain smash into the castle. A moment later, blasts of light, which she recognized, struck the beast. He stopped them with his wings. They were too small, too little, Irinia realized. It simultaneously amazed Irinia and shook her to her soul. What chance did anything stand against such a beast? It could shrug off blows that would destroy walls, battlements, and towers with ease. What chance would anyone have?

  There was another flash. This one was brighter than the first, and the blast that came afterward just as strong. It leveled the buildings around it and kicked up dust. The light from Azara's transformation was so bright that Irinia had to avert her eyes a moment. When she returned them, her mouth hung wide open, and her heart skipped a beat.

Facing off across the city were now two dragons. The first was colored in shades of red, his scales glistening like blood and glowing like magma. This dragon was the one that Irinia recognized from the mountain top. The second was also one she had seen before, but behind a veil of mist and steam.

  The second dragon had scales like the colors of sunset, from bright gold to a deep red. In appearance, it was slimmer and less muscled compared to the red dragon. It was also slightly smaller. A spot on its chest, shortly below the neck, seemed to shine like the sun. Its eyes glowed with the same color, and this caused it to look more potent than its opponent. It was as if a divine being were facing off against one that was more mundane, though both were awe-inspiring creatures - gods to men.

  Irinia watched in stunned stillness as Azara spread her wings, their length covering multiple houses to either side of her. Yet, for all the awesome power and size, Irinia also was forced to notice how beautiful Azara was in her draconic form. Irinia had expected a beast, but this was an angelic creature, with grace to match its power.

  Azara reared back and roared at her brother, the anger and sadness in the bellowing clear even to Irinia. To Irinia's surprise, the roar was not deep and guttural, but somewhat high pitched and sweetly toned. It hurt the ears for how loud it was, but th sound itself was not terrible or disgusting.

  "Amazing, isn't it?" a feminine voice spoke from behind Irinia. It reminded her of a voice she had heard before, but she didn't know where.

  When she turned around to look, she saw a woman dressed in red robes, bearing a staff with a green gem at its top in her hand. She had brownish blonde hair and the most beautiful emerald green eyes Irinia had ever seen, even more than her own. Her facial features reminded Irinia of Azara's in some ways, but they were imperfect by comparison. Her skin was light in color, but not pale. Her build was athletic, and she was of average height. The woman seemed tired and disheveled. There was a smudge of black soot and dirt on her face and a small tear in her robes. She smiled at Irinia.

  "What would a mage like yourself be doing watching this battle?" the woman asked, as Akahtar roared back at Azara, though much more quietly.

  Irinia stumbled for words, as she wondered who this woman was. How had she known Irinia was a mage? She looked between the woman and the battle for a moment, as the stranger approached and sat down. When she did this, Irinia suddenly felt a little overwhelmed - the sheer magical presence of this other mage was incredible. It stunned Irinia for a moment, and she started to stutter something out. At last, she managed a single word.

  "Wh- who?" she said, afraid of the answer. She remembered how Sitari had appeared to her, first in the guise of a maid before dropping her disguise and revealing who she was. She expected any moment for this woman beside her to do the same.

"You know, this is why I named her Dusk," Ezmeralda said while observing the battle, ignoring Irinia's question.

  In the distance, Azara reared back, and blazing yellow flames shot forth from her maw, engulfing Akahtar. Akahtar batted one wing, blowing the fire to the side, before charging forward and bearing some of the blast's brunt. Azara stood firm and met the charge. When the two beings clashed, there was a thunderous noise, and the ground shook a little.

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  Ezmeralda spoke up again, her eyes beaming with admiration. "That's my girl."

  Irinia struggled to interpret the statements for a moment, before she managed out yet another question, this time with three words.

  "Are you S-Sitari?" she asked.

  The woman beside her shrugged. "No, but you are not the first to make that mistake, nor will you be that last."

  Indeed, Irinia realized that no echoes of magical power accompanied this woman's words. She didn't seem as kind or as open as Sitari had, but something about her was strangely welcoming. It was as if she didn't have a care in the world at that moment. It was as if she were content and did not judge others as ordinary people did.

  In the distance, Azara threw Akahtar off her, where he had nearly pinned her against one of Ursulam's castle walls. She let out an ear-splitting cry, and then a beam of energy shot from within her chest towards her brother. He raised his wing to block this, only for the beam to cut through his flesh and arch upwards, sheering off a large portion of it. He cried out in surprise, pain, and fear.

  "I taught her that you know, to combine the fire of her dragon soul with her consecration seal. The two are not the same, but they can be manipulated together. When done so, she can concentrate enormous amounts of presence, and produce nearly pure beams of heat energy as a result. They are like...very powerful sunrays." Ezmeralda said. "Someone I used to know called these 'lasers' though I have no idea what that word means. He was one to say many strange things like that."

  "Wait, you taught Azara?" Irinia asked, still confused. The truth dawned on her, just as Ezmeralda replied.

  "I raised Azara," she said. "My name is Ezmeralda, though I am also known by Dawn. And you?"

  Irinia stooped for a moment and looked between Ezmeralda and the battle in the city. There, Azara jumped into the air, batting her wings downward and ascending into the sky. Azara's feet flew out in front of her as she descended, and her wings guided her into a dive onto Akahtar. He attempted to bat at her with his tail, but the appendage hit a shield of magic and seemed to bounce off the very air. This position left his back exposed, and Azara slammed into him. The two tumbled through the now burning city, crushing houses and causing plumes of smoke to rise in their wake.

  "I am Irinia," Irinia replied. ", though I am also known by Moss."

  "I see. You know my daughter?" Ezmeralda asked.

  Irinia nodded. "I am her apprentice." 

  Ezmeralda beamed, her face showing nothing but appreciation and happiness. "Really? Wonderful! I had no idea Azara had taken someone under her wing."

  Irinia nodded once more, feeling a bit sheepish. She kept her eyes focused on the battle, speaking again in a hushed tone. "Yes, and thank you. She is an amazing teacher, and I'm sure she learned from the best."

  Ezmeralda sighed. "Perhaps, but I wouldn't say so. I've made my mistakes in teaching. Actually, I've made a lot of mistakes when teaching. I would say that my students usually regret my instruction. I have a bad track record with them."

  Irinia raised an eyebrow and averted herself from the struggle that was occurring in the city for a moment. "How so?"

  As if to answer the question, a voice spoke from down the hill behind them.

  "Mother, Serenity is ready."

  Walking up the hill came someone who looked strikingly similar to Azara. If it were not for her differing hairstyle and a covering over one side of her face, Irinia would have thought they were the same person.

  "Have her come up here, Astra, and you too. This battle is something you should see, of all people." Ezmeralda replied.

  A moment later, a woman materialized beside Ezmeralda, much to Irinia's surprise. She was dressed in robes of lilac purple and had hair of a chocolate brown color. Like a ghost, she just appeared from thin air, and when she spoke, Irinia felt as if the sound wasn't quite real.

  "Do you wish to wait for them to finish?" the woman in purple said, as Astra walked up the rest of the hill and stood behind Ezmeralda, observing the battle.

  "Yes. This confrontation is Azara's fight, and she deserves to finish it. I trust she will, as well." Ezmeralda said, before looking to Astra. "It is also your fight, should you wish to go."

  Astra shook her head. "I will not. I've already left that behind."

  Ezmeralda nodded. "Very well."

  "But I will aid," Astra said as she observed Azara being overpowered by her brother and pinned to the ground. With these words, Astra raised a trinket from her side that looked similar to Azara's. Rather than a mirror, however, it had what looked like a watch face. There were no numbers or lettering on this watch, though. Instead, a single beam of light shined from the center of the timepiece to its edge. Astra took her finger and gently passed it into the beam. As she moved her finger, so did the light flickered.

  To Irinia's surprise, the battle suddenly shifted. Akahtar was turned about and looked as surprised as when Azara first jumped upon him. Indeed he was even in the same position. Azara immediately used this opportunity to strike several blows with her claws before she breathed fire directly into her brother at point-blank range. Irinia was almost certain, though it was an incredible idea, that time had been reversed a couple of moments for Akahtar.

  He retreated under the barrage, and Azara was able to stand again, continuing to spew fire from her maw. Akahtar began to stride around her blast of flame, smashing through houses and streets in a semi-circle, to avoid her breath. He ended up sheltering behind the palace, as much as he could, while Azara's fire washed over the building.  

  Azara's fire eventually died, and she roared in the direction of the hill as if saying thanks to her sister.

  "And who these two ?" Irinia asked, gesturing to the people who had appeared.

  Ezmeralda shrugged. "They were once my apprentices. One is also Azara's sister and my dear daughter."

  "Oh," Irinia said, observing both of them, and wondered if their respective states had been the result of Ezmeralda's teachings.

  She did not get a chance to wonder long; however, as a bright light in her vision brought her attention back to the city. On one side of the capital was Akhtar, his mouth agape in a threatening manner towards Azara. Flames built up within his maw, growing more and more intense. On the other side of the city was Azara, her eyes and chest aglow and brighter than before.

  Akahtar reared back, and fire began to belch forth from his mouth. Simultaneously, energy shot from Azara's mouth, as she seemed to breathe the beam of light and fire. Azara's blast raced across their battlefield faster than Akahtar's breath and struck him inside of his mouth. His flames immediately ceased, as if overwhelmed by the energy, and his head jerked back. The blast of energy from Azara stopped, and Akahtar's massive frame slowly fell.

  There was a resounding crash as his body fell into the palace, destroying it. Irinia breathed a sigh of relief, as Azara roared in anguish and anger towards the sky. For a moment, her lumbering form began to walk forward toward her fallen foe, and then, her head hung. She extended her wings and seemed to make as if she were about to fly away before letting them return to a resting position.

  Then, with a bright flash of light and an immense explosive noise, she vanished.