Cassius slowly opened his eyes and saw white curtains around him. He felt slightly fatigued, but nothing hurt. He glanced around the small room and noticed a few tools that led him to the conclusion that he must’ve been in the hospital. He saw curtains to his right that blocked other beds, and a wall to his left. A Banshee and Faery talked in whispers with nurses, neither of whom had noticed Cassius was awake. He assumed the Dualaraties must have been treating him while he was out, and then the last things he could recall popped into his head.

He thought about the woman with the golden and white Dualaratie, and the other woman whom he rarely heard of. The Seamstress. His eyes widened as he remembered that he had summoned his Dualaratie, and then he remembered the final piece of information. He bolted up as his worry for Maya suddenly skyrocketed and accidentally frightened the people in the room. One of whom was a girl wearing a lavender dress. She had golden hair, complemented by light blue streaks. She rested her head on the side of Cassius’ bed while sitting on a small stool.

“Cassius?!” she exclaimed as he sat up. Maya quickly hopped up when she noticed Cassius was awake. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I was so worried! Thomas was too! ...you are okay, right? No more hurting?”

“I think so...” Cassius replied with a raspy voice and a smile. He was glad Maya was here to worry about him, though he worried about her as well. The red eyes and dark bags under them didn’t make him feel very positive. “I’m okay. But definitely really stiff... how long was I out?”

It seemed she was in another world, as she didn’t respond and instead stared at Cassius with a gaping mouth. Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly wrapped Cassius in a tight hug. “I’m so glad,” she whispered. “So, so glad... I thought that- No, never mind. Um. You were asleep for... eight and a half days.”

His eyes widened but he hugged her back and patted her as she stayed in his arms. The nurses seemed opposed to telling the young noble girl off, as they remained silent. “Really...?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Are you okay, Maya?”

“Yeah. I was healed down there. I was just really worried otherwise.”

“Then I’m glad you’re okay too.”

Maya gave him one more quick squeeze, wiped her eyes, and then released the hug and stood up straight. Cassius could tell that even with makeup, she had been dealing with quite a lot over that past week. That made him worry, but he didn’t want to ask her about it in public. However, it looked like she had something to say regardless.

“Eight days. That makes it the seventeenth now. Tomorrow night is the Full Blood.”

Cassius felt his blood run cold at the words but he kept his voice level. “Preparations?”

“They’re going well,” Maya responded, though she didn’t seem sure of her words. “Knights were sent out to towns just after you went into a coma. Here, in Soleil, everything is going well, but the... well, my activation of the elevator might lead to problems if the rogues figure out how to use it.”

Cassius looked down solemnly as he listened. Just the words ‘Full Blood’ or ‘New Blood’ were enough to make anyone on the continent of Keirithu shudder. The origin of the phrases came from being shortened versions of the combination of Full Moon or New Moon with Blood Moon. New Bloods and Full Bloods were both extremely deadly and very rare, only occurring every two-hundred sixty-four days when the two cycles of the moon aligned.

On these nights, an abnormally high number of rogue Dualaraties would spawn around the world. They were also more dangerous than Dualaraties that appeared during Full Moons and New Moons, but they only seemed to appear in pockets. The discovery of this, centuries ago, led to rogue Dualaraties and their resonance with pockets becoming a popular topic of research. However, no breakthroughs have been made since the discovery of the relationship between rogues and pockets, and other than a few baseless theories, the researchers are in the dark, unable to help make Full Bloods and New Bloods less dangerous.

“I’m sure the knights have something figured out,” Cassius reassured her. “That elevator won’t lead to any more lives being lost.”

She nodded quietly while turned away. “Kate. Has he been notified?”

“Who?” Cassius asked curiously as Kate, one of the nurses, nodded.

“The King,” Maya told him while returning to her seat beside Cassius’ bed. “He said he needed to meet with you as soon as you woke up.”

Cassius got an idea of what needed to be talked about, so he began to let his mind wander. However, it wasn’t long before his thoughts were interrupted when a tall, burly man walked into the hospital room. He had a calm yet vigilant air to him. His grey eyes easily reassured everyone in doubt, but on the battlefield, they pierced through his enemies’ morale. He had golden hair with grey streaks in it that had once been orange, though the grey and gold matched his clothes better than the gold and orange had. Currently, his head wasn’t topped with the crown he sometimes wore. The man was the king of the Solumina Kingdom.

He donned his uniform, which was slightly more intricate than the normal uniform of the knights, which was primarily red, with white and yellow being secondary colors. It consisted of a white and gold collared shirt and a red, professional coat with golden designs on the sleeves and along the edges, with armor commonly worn on top. The symbol of the knights was also ironed above the right breast of the uniform. It was a simplistic, bright yellow design of the sun that had evolved as the power of the kingdom rose and waned. All knights wore it, though most of the older knights had kept the older symbol on, which consisted of ten marks rather than nine. The bottom half of the uniform consisted of simple grey pants and black leather boots.

The only difference between normal uniforms and the king’s uniform was that the king’s had more intricate golden designs, along with his crown and a cape that he chose not to wear right now. Despite being for the king, the cape was simplistic in design. It was made with a stark white, thick cloth that had a larger, more intricate depiction of the knights’ symbol woven into it. The center of the sun was sewn onto the cape normally, but the rays of sunlight surrounding it each had a simple nod toward the place they represented, which were various towns and cities.

He walked into the room quietly, and as soon as everyone noticed the man, they kneeled, while Cassius bowed his head from the bed. He chuckled and spoke with a calm and dignified voice. “Please, no formalities while I’m just strolling around. And Mister Arikt, I am glad you are well.”

“Yes, your Highness. I mean- Rhodan. I recovered nicely,” Cassius responded, making sure to watch his tone.

“That’s good. You would’ve missed your mission, if it weren’t for what exactly happened,” he responded with a hard look. He gestured for the nurses to leave, and they did so and closed the door behind them.

“Should I...?” Maya asked as she stepped toward the door.

“No. You stay as well, Miss Mystere.”

She nodded and sat back down on the stool next to Cassius’ bed. She always seemed stiff around the king, though she wasn’t around him nearly as often as Cassius was.

The king walked around the white room aimlessly before clearing his throat. “Cassius, I assume you’ve been informed that you’ve been out for almost nine days?”

Cassius nodded.

“Good. That makes today the seventeenth. As I said, this means you would have missed your mission, had it not been pushed back due to the information gathered from Maya’s... ‘excursion.’ So, now I’ll ask if you think you’ll be prepared to set out this evening.”

“Uh...” Cassius thought for a moment. He glanced to Maya, who gave a sympathetic look; he guessed she’d known about this. “I think I’ll be able to go... but what about the Full Blood?”

“We’ll be fine without your aid. And I want you to be sure about going. Show up to the port any time before nine o’clock tonight if you’re sure you’ve properly recovered. Now, the next order...” the king’s face seemed to darken. “I heard you managed to summon your Dualaratie.”

Cassius’ eyes widened as he remembered what had been sitting at the back of his mind all this time. He felt a dull feeling beside him, though it felt suppressed, like a small child tugging at his side, anxious that Cassius might do something to scare the child away. Except the feeling wasn’t filled with any angst. “I did. At least, I’m pretty sure I did.”

The sun... it restrains me. Cassius flinched at the sudden whisper. He gave a skeptical look to his shadow, where the voice had come from, and then to Maya and the king.

“Did anyone hear that...?”

Maya gave him a confused look. “No?”

“Ah. Your Dualaratie?” the king guessed.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so. It said the sun was... restraining it?”

King Rhodan thought for a moment and pulled at his short, greying beard while walking towards a window in the room. “Well, perhaps we simply need to darken the room.”

He reached out and pulled the curtains closed to block out the sunlight. Cassius felt the tugging sensation become stronger, and then felt as if a piece of him was pouring out of him, as if he was deflating. In turn, his shadow began to rise off the floor and take shape. The remaining light in the room kept the shadow from completely separating from Cassius’ shadow, but it was tall enough to see its full shape. In the light, it was slightly transparent compared to what it had looked like in the pocket, and it was also more grey than solid black.

Maya and Cassius watched with wide, intrigued eyes, while the king looked intently at the shadow. It stood silently and seemed almost like it was lost. Its silhouette looked exactly like Cassius, and it turned towards the young man, as if to receive orders. Cassius wasn’t sure if he should tell it to do anything.

“Does it-” Maya suddenly cut off her question. “Your face! And hair!”

Cassius made a confused face and reached up to touch his face, but his eyes widened when he saw his right hand. It was now covered in straight, thick black lines that ran up his arm. It was duller than most others, only made up of right angles and black lines that didn’t glow. From what Cassius could see, the most interesting part was the symbol that appeared on the back of his hand. The lines converged to create a perfect circle that had a single line through the middle, from top to bottom. “An Ethereon...”

“And your hair...!” Maya repeated in amazement. “Streaks of it are glowing white- or silver!”

Cassius’ eyes widened as he curiously reached a hand up to his hair. He pulled a few strands to where he could see them and confirmed that streaks of his hair were indeed glowing a silvery white. He could only think of a single question. “Why...?”

“It... well, it must be an effect of your Dualaratie. Dematerialize it?” Rhodan suggested.

Cassius willed the silent, three-dimensional shadow to slowly merge back into his two-dimensional shadow, and as it disappeared, so did his Ethereon.

Maya’s jaw dropped, but she quickly began to smile. “Amazing! This has... never been seen before!”

“It’s... baffling,” the king noted, but his face began to darken. “But it’s an ugly sign as well. It brings back memories of the Church...”

Cassius looked at the man like he was insane, and he felt a small amount of fear and anger build up inside him. This topic was meant to be kept between the king and a few important subordinates, lest it create an uncontrollable amount of fear and unease. He didn’t want Maya to feel any amount of that fear, but Cassius realized something. Rhodan meant to say that. He was beginning to trickle certain information to Maya; it seemed the king thought of her as an important asset in his plans.

“The-... What?!” Maya asked, refusing to believe what she heard. “How in the world would they relate?”

Cassius could tell by her tone that she had figured it out.

“Ah, not important. Forget I said that. My fatigue is getting to me,” the king said, playing off what he had done. “We can continue the research of your Dualaratie at a later date. The reason I came here in the first place is to update you on a few things. Simply put, you can either choose to go on your mission, tonight, or, you can rest for another day and protect Soleil during the Full Blood.”

“I’ll go on the mission,” Cassius responded without a second thought. “I didn’t even know I still could.”

“Maya’s... ‘excursion’ pushed the information back. Some of the information gleaned from what happened forced us to take a step back.”

Cassius nodded, but he wasn’t entirely sure of what that information was. “Got it.”

“It would be best if you rested, Cassius,” Maya said worriedly.

“Has that ever worked?” Cassius teased. “I’ll be fine, Maya. If I need to recover, I can recover during the trip.”

Maya huffed in response. “Just be sure you’re careful. No more stunts like the one you pulled in the pocket.”

Cassius nodded in response, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Rhodan smiled at the two. “Cassius, come to the docks any time this afternoon. That is all. Have a great afternoon; the weather today is great.”

“Good luck with the final touches for the Full Blood,” Maya and Cassius said simultaneously.

King Rhodan nodded, smiled, and then exited the room with a quick gait. The nurses slowly crept back into the room after the king left. Apparently, they were still startled by the sudden appearance of him. Then, they proceeded to get Cassius prepared to be discharged from the hospital. Two Dualaraties double-checked for any injuries and found none that were serious enough to keep him in the hospital. His ribs, leg, and arm had all healed, and he was free to go. Before he hopped out of the comfy bed, Maya pointed to a stack of clothes on a nightstand next to his bed.

“Change into those. I’ll be waiting outside,” Maya said cheerfully.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

She walked out of the room and then Cassius got up and pulled the curtain closed around his bed to have some privacy. He took off his white hospital gown, grabbed the plain black shirt Maya had gotten him, and put it on. Then he put on the tan trousers and his dark grey leather boots. Maya had brought his cloak as well, but he carried it in one arm for now. Once he was fully dressed, he thanked the nurses once more and left the room to see Maya standing outside.

He looked at her happy eyes and noticed some fatigue. Possible bags under her eyes were covered by makeup, making her look less tired than she must have been. Cassius assumed that she had spent long nights lying awake the last week while Cassius was in the hospital. It was a habit of hers to worry excessively about people she deeply cared for, causing her to sacrifice her own health for them.

“So,” Maya began, “where are you headed?”

“Uh... oh, I need to pack. And let Thomas I’m okay. Then I’ll say goodbye, and then I’ll leave.”

“I’ll come along. I have lots of free time today.”

“Anything else I missed?”

Maya grimaced slightly. “Well, the Irrates mounted an attack just a few days ago. Lots of knights left for the border. Our defenses for the Full Blood are slightly lacking, but we’ll still be fine. I think.”

“Great. If the Irrates continue to provoke us then that won’t bode well for either of us. For tomorrow night or the future.”

Maya only nodded in response.

“Maya... what happened after the... underground incident? With you, I mean.”

“Me? Well, luckily, my father didn’t punish me for once. He said what happened down there must’ve been bad enough,” Maya told Cassius, but he felt she was hiding something beneath her gratefulness to her father.

“And are you okay? Mentally?”

“Me? I’m...” her smile faltered before dissipating completely. “It was scary. I really thought I would... not make it.”

He gently took her hand to reassure her. “I’m glad you’re okay. Just be more careful with your research in the future, please. I’m always willing to help, you know.”

“I will, and thank you” she responded with a nod, seeming slightly haunted by her experience. She squeezed Cassius’ hand and glanced out a window at the city.

He wanted to reprimand her more but knew it would be worse for her in the long run. “Make sure you talk to someone if you’re still shaky, okay?”

She nodded and showed a small smile.

“Um, and how’d your chest heal up so... completely?”

“Well... you never got the whole story, did you? After you passed out.”

Cassius shook his head no.

“Right. Well, after I went down there, um... there were a couple of people down there. With the golden Dualaraties. One of them was that woman you fought. And another was the man that-...”

“Got it,” Cassius said as she faltered. He assumed she didn’t like talking about when the injury occurred. “And how’d you survive?”

“The Seamstress. She acted as if the two people were invading her home, so she ran them off and, uh... roped me up?”

Cassius wondered why. The Seamstress was a mysterious woman who appeared all around the continent, but nobody knew what her goals were. Little was known about her, except that her Dualaratie could produce spider silk that, when tied around something, would stop it in time. “Oh...”

“Yeah. Confusing. Then, I was stuck there for a while, with a Minotaur as my protector, I guess. I think that kept away those people until you came down. Um, and then after you fainted, your Dualaratie defended us, the Seamstress lured the knights down, and then I got patched up?”

A confused look formed on Cassius’ face as he wondered who would’ve been able to heal such a deadly wound.

“Lilian patched me up,” Maya said, seeming to read Cassius’ mind. “You were out cold though. Everyone assumes it was the Soulforging-induced sleep, but...”

“A week is a long time to be asleep for.”

“Yeah. And I think that’s about it? Nothing much happened while you were asleep.”

“Well, I’m sure a lot of stuff happened behind the scenes with the knights,” Cassius said with a sigh.

“Oh! Right. That area was sealed off. But it’s not...”

As Maya trailed off she subtly gestured to the people walking past them. Cassius got the idea; the pocket wasn’t public information, even in the castle. It made sense, as it might stir up unrest in some, while others would want to explore the area and create unnecessary work for the knights. But Cassius wondered if there was anything else that had been found.

“Even though it was a small area?” he asked.

“Yeah. The knights would rather not take chances.”

“Got it. Um, do you wanna help with my Dualaratie at some point?”

“I’d love to!” Maya exclaimed excitedly. “I’ve never seen one like it before, so it’s super interesting to me.”

“Okay. Thanks. I think that was all.” Cassius didn’t say anything more after that. If he wanted more information, there’d be plenty of chances for it during his mission.

“Really,” Maya asked with a mischievous smile. “Nothing else? Nothing at all?”

“Uh-” he started, but was cut off when Maya pulled him into a tight hug. It caught him off guard so he blushed and hugged her back, slightly ashamed that he’d been too shy to ask and had lied instead. “Thanks...”

“Not a problem. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah... I’m glad you’re okay too,” he said as he secretly wiped a tear of thankfulness off of his cheek. He hadn’t realized he’d been that worried about Maya.

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She let him go and smiled. “Nothing else?”

He nodded, and it seemed that was the only signal she needed. Maya nodded back in understanding as she interlaced her fingers with Cassius’ and walked in silence beside him. They descended through and out of the luminous castle and into the bright streets of the city. There wasn’t a cloud in sight in the endless blue sky, but it was cold enough that people actually chose to wear heavier clothing under their cloaks. Throughout most of Keirithu, the weather was warm year-round, but occasionally, during the winter months, the temperature would drop.

Cassius put his black cloak on and let his mind wander. He figured there would still be a lot of information to get out of the knights, as they were the ones who held all of the classified information. However, he wasn’t thinking of all the knights, rather, he was only thinking about a small group of knights consisting of thirteen people. They dressed in black and grey, and were younger than most knights. They were the Silhouette Knights, sometimes referred to as “the knights with no name.”

They were split into two small factions, one consisting of six girls, and the other consisting of seven boys, including their captains. A woman named Persephone led the female half of the knights, while the other half was led by a man Cassius had never met, nor even heard the name of. All he’d heard was that the king was temporarily leading the male half of the faction, filling in for a man who was either completely fine, lost, captured, or dead; no one knew for sure.

Cassius often thought of the mystery knight, and what level of power would have been needed to defeat him. After all, Cassius knew Persephone was most likely the strongest knight in Solumina, even with her utility-based Dualaratie. But he had also heard stories about the knight clad in black and blue who was able to easily take down six of the strongest Silhouette Knights while only occasionally letting his Dualaratie defend him. And with his Dualaratie’s full power, he was labeled as the strongest man, not just in the Kingdom of Solumina, but on the entire continent of Keirithu.

He tried to never dwell on those thoughts for long, so he brought his thoughts back to the current moment. They had already left the entertainment district and were heading through the main area of the city, where most of the housing and shops were. He watched a few Dualaraties as they floated or walked around with their summoners. A few kids were arguing about a game on one side of the street, and a few people haggled at shops while colorful, triangular banners flew over their heads. Girls in tall houses giggled out of their windows and pointed at people walking through the street while boys played games with each other.

He glanced at Maya, who always gave him his quiet time when he needed it. He was glad she did that, though sometimes he worried that Maya catered to his happiness too much; he didn’t want her to suffer for him, but he wasn’t sure how to change that. He found himself just blankly staring at her as they walked through the streets. Her head turned, and Cassius saw that beautiful smile with a hint of playfulness.

“You know,” Maya giggled, “sometimes you look at me too much. And we’re at our stop, Cassius.”

“Mm...” Cassius responded blankly as he blushed mildly at being caught. He realized he’d allowed his thoughts to once again drift off. He shook it off and turned to look at the well-kept orphanage next to him, which was four stories tall; a tall building for being located this far away from the castle. It had a window for every room and its flat roof stuck out among the slanted roofs of other buildings. Finger paintings lined the bottom of the large building, made by the kids who lived there.

Cassius walked up to the door, knocked, and a minute later a young woman opened the door and smiled at the pair. “Hello there Cassius! And Maya as well! Come on in!”

“Good afternoon, Miss Tracy.” Maya greeted her with a smile as she walked into the building, followed by Cassius, who gave a silent nod and smiled. They entered into a small square foyer with a door on every wall and a large potted plant in one of the corners of the dull room.

“I assume you two are here to see Thomas?”

“Yeah,” Cassius said. But before Tracy could call for Thomas, the trio heard repetitive thumping from another room as Thomas ran down some stairs and into the foyer.

Cassius watched as the seven-year-old beamed when he spotted his older brother’s black hair. “Cassius!” The freckled boy exclaimed as he jumped and wrapped his arms around Cassius, who hugged him tightly back.

“Hi Thomas,” Cassius said with a smile as he hugged his brother back. Cassius rubbed his brother’s head lovingly and looked at the strands of bright yellow hair mixed in with the black. Cassius had at first been jealous of his brother for having the blonde hair of their mother, as he had only gotten his father’s black hair without any streaks of another color, but over time he had started to love it. “How’ve you been?”

“Um. Worried!” Thomas exclaimed before blushing, pointing to Maya, and continuing. “Maya said you got hurt really bad to protect us, and you got put in the hop- hos... hospital!”

Cassius smiled as he released his little brother; he found him so adorable. The way he had trouble pronouncing some words, even at seven years old, the way he blushed around Maya, but most especially because of the kindness he had in his heart. Cassius was always proud of the progress his brother was making. “Well now I’m all better. No more worrying, okay?”

“I’m happy you’re all better,” Thomas said as he nodded and then gave Maya a hug as she bent down.

“Thomas was a lot more worried than he’d like to admit, by the way,” Maya teased. “But I made sure he knew that you were strong enough to not be defeated by the big scary minotaur.”

Thomas pouted and tried to escape Maya while she teased him, but she picked him up with a slight struggle. “Let me go, Maya!”

“Nope, never,” she said with a smile.

Cassius let his guard down around the two, and he smiled a genuine smile. Around these two, it felt like he had a family again. A family that hadn’t been violently ripped away from him. But he didn’t think about that now. Right now, all that mattered was that Maya and Thomas were happy.

“One day,” Cassius began with a playful tone, “you’ll be too heavy for Maya to hold. And you’ll act like you won’t miss it, but you definitely will.”

“And I’ll miss being able to hold you.”

Thomas huffed and sighed in defeat, refusing to look at either Cassius or Maya. Cassius wondered if he knew the two were right. His brother wasn’t the brightest, but he seemed to be able to get some ideas perfectly, while others never clicked. Cassius had discovered long ago that one of those things was using a sword, but instead of the lessons not clicking, Thomas simply refused to learn.

Cassius had been asked by his brother why people fought when they could talk instead. Cassius ignored the question at first, but he began thinking about it more as he grew older. He hadn’t had a good answer at the time, and he still didn’t. His best answer was that some people couldn’t be reasoned with, that some people wanted revenge so badly that they’d never stop fighting, or that they fought blindly for justice. Cassius knew that he would fight or kill anyone he needed to just to be able to protect Maya and Thomas, but when he’d asked his brother that question, his response wasn’t the same. He had said that he would find a way to protect who he loved without inflicting pain on someone else. Cassius knew the idea was somewhat naïve, but he didn’t have an insightful way to tell that to a child.

Maya’s words brought Cassius out of his trance. “We came to tell you that Cassius is going out on his mission today instead. And of course that he’s okay now.”

“Aw...” Thomas complained, but he quickly beamed instead and ran up to Cassius. “Well... bring home more souvenirs! And stay safe.”

“I always do,” Cassius responded with a smile as he knelt down to be eye level. He felt his brother’s warm hug before he had even finished bending down. “I love you too, Thomas.”

“I know. I love you more-er.”

“Just more,” Cassius corrected him with amusement.

“More-ER!” Thomas stubbornly.

Maya joined the hug, “Well I love you two the most.”

The Arikt brothers both blushed at the words. To one, she was the love of his life, and to the other, she was just like a mother. And to each other, they were family.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Got it. I’ll see you at the docks then. Love you,” Cassius called out to Maya as she waved goodbye. They hadn’t been with Thomas for long, as Cassius wanted to leave for his mission as soon as he could. After Maya and Cassius had left, Maya told Cassius she had forgotten to do something at home, and then abruptly left, leaving Cassius alone once again.

He turned around and walked silently, and the world around him seemed to slowly stop being so exciting. The banners and colored houses became dull once again without the presence of Maya or Thomas. He walked onwards swiftly, with a purpose, but something caught his eye. A streak of red in the dull city, and an accompanying feeling of . . . something Cassius couldn’t quite grasp.

Red and brown hair, and a pale face. He couldn’t see the build of the body, as it was hidden beneath a cloak, but the hair matched the description, and by the feminine face, he could tell the person was a girl. A small Dualaratie floated by her as well, further raising his suspicions. He thought for a moment about how he’d forgotten to ask Maya about the possibility of someone owning a rogue Dualaratie to know if it was truly possible. The only source that ever said it was possible was the Church, and they had been destroyed for a reason.

Cassius realized he was standing in another stupor, so he moved into an alley beside him. He watched the cloaked girl from around a corner, and as she turned, he got a good look. She perfectly matched the description: brown hair, red streaks, thin, pale, and owns a Dualaratie. The only thing he was unsure of was the Dualaratie being rogue, so continued watching. And then, as it passed the girl’s ponytail, the hair moved very slightly. It was all the proof he needed. Cassius calmly walked out of the alley and toward the clothing shop she was at. He was now even more thankful that Maya had brought him casual clothes, without any sign of the emblem of the knights.

The girl entered the shop as Cassius was halfway across the road, so he entered after reaching the door. Her hood was still down, allowing Cassius to make his way over to her slowly but surely. He kept his eyes on the small, floating Dualaratie, and reached for his sword as it glanced at him. Except, his sword wasn’t there, just clothing. But something was there in its place. He looked at his shadow, made small by the sunlight coming through various windows, and turned his head as he felt it emerge from a dark shelf beside him. He smiled smugly, but the smirk was quickly wiped off his face as he turned and saw the girl was gone.

But how?! He asked himself. No one opened any doors or- Invisibility.

He realized she had caught on.

My liege. A calm voice spoke, causing Cassius to jump slightly. He didn’t need to look around for the source though. He knew it came from his shadow. I apologize for frightening you, my liege. Excuse my interjection, but you cannot see the girl, can you?

“No,” Cassius whispered out loud.

No need to talk, my liege. Just think. A truly loyal knight need only look at his commander to glean his thoughts. Now, excuse me once again, but the girl remains in the same spot. A spell hides her from your eyes, but my Mystic Sight cuts through it. I suggest you walk near her to scare her off, and I will pin her, my liege.

Cassius nodded in a slight trance. It was weird, having a voice in your head that wasn’t your own. He looked at the room crowded with clothes on hangers and spotted the last location he’d seen the girl with red hair. He walked by the windows as if looking at clothes, and slowly maneuvered his way closer to where he believed the girl was. Cassius stopped in his tracks for a moment and caught the misstep by looking at a shirt; invisibility frightened him, even if he had grown up seeing Persephone use it.

How are you going to stop her? Summoned Dualaraties can’t interact with the Verinth. Cassius told his shadow.

Do not fear, my liege. I break no rules. My sword simply has properties you may not be familiar with. I can explain later if required, but for now, I recommend we focus on the task at hand.

Cassius gave a small nod and then continued through the shop. It was by no means a large shop, but he took his time looking at clothes to make sure he wouldn’t be detected as an enemy once again. Suddenly, he heard the soft rustle of clothes and instinctively looked toward the area, just as any confused passerby would.

Directly behind you, my liege. The shadow told Cassius. He jogged between the racks behind him and almost tripped over something invisible. He regained his balance and looked at the floor, which was ordinary except for the long, shadowy sword held horizontally to the ground. Cassius also noticed faint outlines of something, but there weren’t enough to fully make out a person. Then, he felt a tug on his leg that almost toppled him.

Watch yourself! Back away and tell her she is caught.

Cassius instead quickly bent down and grabbed what he could. So as to not be indecent, he grabbed at his legs and felt leather around thins wrists, rather than trying to grab her torso. He easily pulled the hands off his leg and held them up before passing one wrist to his left hand. Not sure where her eyes were, he chose a spot to look at and spoke to her.

“It’s best if you stop resisting.”

“I can’t!” the girl hissed to the Dualaratie. Both were no longer invisible, and only the Dualaratie seemed to notice the spell had stopped. The already pale girl was now white as a ghost.

“Uh...?” Cassius said uncertainly.

His comment and the direction her Dualaratie was looking seemed to help her realize the spell had ended. She turned her head toward Cassius and spoke with a tone that masked worry and fear. “Uh... am I in trouble?”

“I’m not letting go of someone who said they can’t stop resisting,” Cassius told her, acting slightly arrogant.

She shot a fear-filled glare at her Dualaratie after realizing it had stopped the spell at a certain time to ‘frame’ her.

“Kiara Luminaire.”

Her reaction gave her away. A completely innocent but confused look. “Huh...? How?”

“As I thought. You’re going to jail for... cooperating with a rogue Dualaratie.”

Her eyes widened at the words while she looked at Cassius, but her face quickly changed to annoyance. “She’s not...!”

“I’m not a judge, so...” Cassius trailed off. He’d never heard of a fugitive so young reaching one of the top pages of the news the knights got. He’d be just as flustered and scared as her for his fate. “Just follow me?”

She sighed and gave up without a fight. Cassius silently ordered the shadow to put its sword away, and then he stood up with the fugitive in tow. He unarmed her and raised an eyebrow at her bloodstained cloak. He took it off and carried it, and the swords, in one hand while holding her wrists in his other hand. Her Dualaratie seemed to listen just as well as her and followed her as they walked out of the store without saying anything to each other. Cassius gave the shopkeeper a smile that said “sorry” before they walked out.

“Hey,” Cassius began, “do you happen to be planning anything with your Dualaratie?”

“No,” she answered simply. The small Dualaratie kept quiet. “That’s stupid.”

I sense no gathering of power either. His shadow said; he would have to get used to the sudden interjections.

“Is she really rogue?”

“I’m not, thank you very much,” the Dualaratie responded in a haughty voice. “But I do have a physical body.”

Cassius glanced at the sunlit sky but kept his doubts. “It just... seems impossible. Researchers say that only rogues have that trait...”

“Hm... well it seems a little shortsighted to be so hostile to someone different from you. You’re lucky I have manners, and that I’m not willing to jeopardize the life of a sixteen-year-old girl just to say stuff.”

“I never said I had anything against you,” Cassius replied. He felt flustered by the verbal fight the Dualaratie was putting up. “It’s just... odd. You’re an abnormality.”

“Ouch. I’ll ignore those hurtful words for now. Anyway, you followed orders. If you really cared-”

“Cia. Stop,” Kiara said with a hard voice. The Dualaratie, surprisingly, listened to her.

Cassius glanced at the redhead and thought better of continuing the argument. He knew it’d be useless to let himself be provoked by a soon-to-be prisoner. And though he felt a tug to ask more about the Faery, he contained his curiosity for now and asked about the girl. “So, why in the world did you come to Soleil of all places... as a fugitive?”

She kept quiet for a minute, and Cassius assumed she wouldn’t speak, but she did. “I could follow the river north to Borea, and then... go to the Invearnal Kingdom.”

He noted the defeated and embarrassed tone she spoke with.

“And you’re sixteen?”

“Yeah. Just a kid,” she responded with some spite.

Cassius refrained from telling her that that wasn’t exactly true. After that short conversation, he walked her through the loud streets and received an almost overwhelming amount of stares from passing children and curious adults. No one paid much attention to Cassius himself, and instead they were stealing glances or openly staring at the girl with streaks of red hair, and her oddly dressed Dualaratie. It seemed everyone had been intrigued by a teenage girl being walked through the streets by a knight, and whispers seemed to grow the idea that it was the girl with a rogue Dualaratie.

He examined the pair himself and noticed subtle similarities, such as how both were always examining their surroundings. The most surprising was when Kiara glanced at her Dualaratie, she smiled very slightly, but rather than it being a smile of malice that Cassius should watch out for, it was a simple smile to a good friend, as if they shared an inside joke. She seemed to see her Dualaratie as someone she was safe around, but Cassius wasn’t so sure. He didn’t think it would be possible to create a deep, trusting bond in such a short amount of time.

His eyes shifted from the Faery to the girl’s casual clothes she wore. It made Cassius feel bad for arresting her because it proved she was simply a normal girl. But, he didn’t want to let a possibly dangerous fugitive roam around in a city, so he had done his job. There was also the possibility that she could be acting dumb and innocent to make Cassius second-guess if he should capture her, but that feeling of fear he got from her made him unsure of what she might pull.

He wondered about that for a moment and then saw a trusted coworker of his in his red coat. The man had a bad attitude, but he always made sure to get his jobs done. Cassius walked over and waved as best he could, with two swords and a cloak in his hand. “Hey, Dominic.”

The older man, who had black and brown hair, turned and gave a wave as well before gaping at the girl and her Dualaratie. “Isn’t that the fugitive with a rogue?”

“She’s not rogue...” she responded before Cassius could, still with some annoyance in her voice.

“She is,” Cassius responded to Dominic while ignoring the girl. “I found her while she was... shopping?”

He received a nod from the girl in response.

“In... the capital city?”

“Yeah... I already asked her about that. Said it was a stop on a trip.”

“Well,” he began with a condescending laugh, “that trip was cut short.”

“Just... take her off my hands. I have to get prepped for a mission.”

“Sure,” Dominic responded as he gave a nod and took the offered swords, cloak, and her wrists. “No cuffs? The Dualaratie doesn’t bite?”

“Didn’t have any on me, but it hasn’t said a word. Just watch the invisibility. That’s all I know she can do. Just get her to the cells, hand her to someone else,” he told Dominic, not considering the girl’s fear. Dominic gave a nod before walking off.

Now, Cassius could finally return to the barracks to prepare for his mission. He continued in a swift walk back, this time without seeing anything else interesting. The walk back took him nearly twenty minutes, and he realized he must’ve zoned out more than usual while walking to the orphanage with Maya, even more than usual. The solitude didn’t bother him too much though. Sometimes, he enjoyed the silence of his walks even if there was nobody to cheer him up, and he somewhat enjoyed watching the occasional Dualaratie zip past, or kids playing in the streets.

Once he reached the rectangular building, he opened a back door and walked upstairs to his room while avoiding the cafeteria. He opened and closed the dark wooden door and quickly took off the clothes Maya had brought him. He reached for his dresser and froze when he saw the shadow seeping out of it.

My apologies for frightening you, my liege. I’m not sure if there is a better way for me to appear.

“It’s fine,” Cassius responded as he pulled open his dresser and warped the shadow.

There’s no need to spe-

“It just feels more natural.”

The shadow went silent for a moment before continuing. Understood. Anyway, I was wondering what name we should use for me. Just calling me shadow seems... lazy.

“James? Leo?” He asked as he pulled on fresh clothes.

Leo? The shadow chuckled. No, that certainly won’t fit, though... I’m not sure why. It rings some sort of bell. But how about your last name? We are two parts of a whole, after all.

“Hold on. Why don’t you already have a name? I thought all Dualaraties had one,” Cassius asked, finally showing curiosity in the conversation.

Hm. To be honest, I’m not sure why. It’s a blank.

Cassius made a pensive expression. “Oh. Then does Arikt work? That’s my last name.”

Somehow, Cassius knew the shadow raised its eyebrows in excitement. That name. It fits. I’m sure of it. Arikt. I like the sound of it. That was all. I’ll leave you be, my liege.

Arikt disappeared back into the dresser silently as Cassius continued to change into his uniform and armor. Not the red, white, and yellow uniform, which he seldom wore these days. For missions like these, he was required to wear black. He and twelve others had received these uniforms at their induction, and they were tailored specifically for them. The Silhouette Knights. The group of thirteen elite knights who underwent harsh training from a young age to perform covert operations, all to gather information on those who called themselves the Contradictors.

A group of people bent on burning up their auras to leave them without their other half. It was assumed that this process of ‘burning’ your Dualaratie created a Dualaratie with pure white wings and too many eyes. That is what sets Contradictors apart from others. Their soul with only a single side to it. The people with half a soul were the people the Silhouette Knights fought against because that lack of equilibrium in a person is unhealthy, and leads to the destruction of the mind and body, leading to mental instability. It's contradictory to destroy yourself. But, even knowing that information, the Contradictors still ‘burned’, and the only reason they gave was “vengeance.”

Cassius himself fought them not only because he was born into it, but also because of the ideas his little brother had instilled in them. Had he not had his little brother, he would have given up at some point and died fighting. Luckily, his brother was alive and well, so he put on his black uniform when he needed to. He put his armor and chainmail into a large bag before he pulled on his boots and gloves. Then, he threw extra clothes into another bag, along with other essentials. Finally, he strapped on his sword and shield, which he noted had been returned to his room after he had passed out a week ago, and then he left his quiet room and closed the door behind him, not seeing the pack of money that had been left on his bed.

He wasted no time in leaving. While carrying his two bags, he said bye to the knights he knew that he passed, unsure of when he would be back. Missions like these usually took at least three weeks but were sometimes much longer than that. He didn’t mind the missions though because he adored traveling, even though he couldn’t see Maya and Thomas. The astonishing scenery made up for not having them along, and the journeys served as a break from the monotony of his normal life. Once he was out of the building, he began a light jog to the port, though this time he smiled as he made his way through the city, feeling the excitement. Before he knew it, he had reached the docks and realized the ten-minute walk had felt like a two-minute walk. He was more excited than he’d like to admit.

The docks were as expansive as ever, reaching north and south, along the shore of the Lake of the Sun. Even this far north, he could easily make out the large, white wall at the edge of the city which ended where it met the lake. He pulled his eyes away from it and climbed down a flight of stairs onto the main docks. The upper portion was filled with shops and cafes that had a perfect view of the lake and sunset. Ships, both large and small, lined the docks while merchants climbed on and off of them. Wooden crates, caged animals, people, and Dualaraties were scattered all over the docks. Cassius’ eyes were drawn to the Dualaraties that were uncommon in the Silent Gardens, such as the dwarves and ghouls from the Scorched Remnants.

As the wooden steps beneath his feet squeaked, he spotted a girl with golden hair and a guy with cobalt blue hair. With that blue-haired boy here, it seemed the mission would be quite challenging.

“Hey, Katarin! Maya!”

The pair stopped talking and glanced at Cassius as he put his bags down nearby. Maya gave a soft smile while Katarin gave a smug, knowing smirk.

“Hey,” Katarin responded with a hint of excitement. “Haven’t worked with you in a while.”

“Yeah. Guess it’ll be a challenge,” Cassius responded.

“I think you’ll be fine,” Maya chimed in. “And Cassius. I got this for you.”

He caught a navy blue winter coat as it was tossed to him. It was heavier than he expected. The inside was lined by soft, dark grey fur on the inside, and the outer layer was a hard material. He knew what it meant.

“Who told you where we’re going?”

“Not telling. But that’s to keep you warm. And the best part...” she explained as she touched the shell of the coat, “is that that outer layer is made of Moonsteel. It’ll work better than some of your armor.”

“Expensive...” Cassius responded with some concern. He pushed away the concern, smiled, and pulled her into a hug to gently kiss her forehead. “But thank you. I’ll probably have it on all the time up there.”

Maya blushed and grinned at the ground as she hugged him back. “I got it to pay you back for saving me. I’m glad you like it. Um, anyway... I love you, Cassius. Good luck.”

“Uh?” he started, confused as to why she was saying goodbye so soon. “Thank you. I love you too, Maya.”

Before he could say anything else, he felt her lips on his for just a second as she leaned up, and he blushed even more. She quickly pulled away and smiled once again. He watched as she held out her hand and extended her pinky finger to him. He instantly wrapped his pinky around hers.

“Pinky promise you return safely,” she told him.

“I pinky promise,” he responded.

After he said that, she hugged him once again for just a few seconds, and then quickly walked off without another word. Cassius knew she worried a lot when he went out on missions, but it didn’t seem like there was anything he could do about it. He smiled sadly as she left, and then he turned and realized Katarin had already walked onto a ship. Cassius picked up his bags and walked out onto the pier and onto a plank that led onto the deck of the ship that Katarin was on. He tried not to think about Maya’s abrupt goodbye.

Katarin ran a hand over his short, blue hair that was cut just above his eyebrows. There were streaks of black in it that matched his uniform. He was a year older than Cassius, taller by a few inches, and his eyes were a dark blue that almost matched his hair. His skin was a dark tan, and he had a rough but lean body; anyone could tell at a glance that he was extremely strong. He turned towards Cassius and gave a worried smile. “Hey. Did anyone ever wish you a happy birthday last week?”

“Yeah. A few people.”

“...did she?”

“Maya? She must’ve forgotten,” Cassius responded, trying to sound unbothered.

“I don’t like when you lie to yourself. She didn’t. She thinks you won’t accept a late happy birthday.”

“She knows I would...”

“Yeah, but... put that with the ‘gift’ she got you last week, and she starts second-guessing herself. But she means no harm.”

“I know.”

Katarin sighed. “I’m making sure your subconscious knows too.”

Cassius nodded in understanding. He appreciated Katarin for looking after him even if he didn’t act that way. “Thanks.”

Katarin looked towards the helm, where the captain waited. “Hey, Captain! We’re all set!”

The captain smiled and started yelling at his crew to prepare the ship. A banshee materialized beside the captain, likely to create wind for the sails.

“We don’t need to notify anyone?” Cassius asked.

“Nah. Rhodan will know one way or another.”

Cassius and Katarin headed into the crowded area beneath the deck while the crew set the sails, and they saw a folded piece of paper fall onto the ground.

“Guess these are the directions. Thanks, Persephone,” Katarin said as he bent down and picked up the paper. He opened it and his eyes widened. “ ‘Exact location: Skartica...’ ”

“The capital?” Cassius asked incredulously. The last time a mission to the capital of Frikalt had been issued was when the male leader of the Silhouette Knights disappeared.