The day after Okiteras capture by the war beasts the exiled guard enters Keireens kingdom from neutral lands. Guards look at him but do nothing to the exiled guards relief. The exiled guard teleports to Keireens castle and walks into the throne room dropping to one knee infront of Keireen.
"King Keireen, I bring news from Okitera" The exiled guard says
"Speak" Keireen says with some anger in his voice as he expects the worst
"The three war beasts that had escaped from here had infiltrated Okitera and freed their own people and subsequently took the city over for Reinlas" The exiled guard says
Keireen is furious as he gets up and kicks the guard back hard enough to send him into a wall.
"First off how the fuck did they manage that!? And second off what the fuck are you doign here?!" Keireen shouts
"As far as we could tell they used the Delantramite as a distraction drawing all guards to the walls as the Hykra and Tykema got to their allies" The exiled guard says back quickly
"Likely that fucking Hykras plan, now how and why are you here?" Keireen asks
"I remain loyal to you King Keireen no matter what the laws say, I attacked Reinlas when he entered the city causing him to try an exile me" The exiled guard says
"I like your loyalty but you are useless to me" Keireen says
"M-my king?" The exiled guard says
"In accordance to the first generation laws. May your loyalty to me give you a peaceful afterlife should such a thing exist" Keireen says as he grabs the exiled guards head and snaps his neck
"Ratankira!" Keireen shouts as the guards take the body away
Ratankira teleports to him.
"Yes?" Ratankira asks
"I want you to gather information on possible next moves of either Reinlas himself or hsi border forces while I have Onikerm work on something" Keireen says
"Of coarse, I'll get right on it" Ratankira says as he walks out
Keireen walks down to the dungeons and to the Delantramite area down there where he sees Onikerm painfully manipulating the metal skin of a Delantramite.
"Onikerm I need to speak to you for a minute" Keireen says causing Onikerm to stop and walk over
"What is it you need? Please tell me it involves torturing someone" Onikerm says
"It does involve torture. Of a sort" Keireen says walking out with him
"This sounds like it will be fun" Onikerm says as he smiles...
Over In Reinholm Castle...
Linra is in the garden with Farenisle, Liara and Jorankra. Jorankra is still adjusting to her new living space but the wolves dont seem to mind her. Jorankra does a tiny roar.
"Not too fearsome but all adorable" Linra says and smiles at Jorankra
"Indeed" Liara says
"I'm still wondering whats happening with her scales, the grey ones definitely arent normal from what people report about dragons" Farenisle says
"True though Syremai also says it should be nothing to worry about and given hes our closest thing to an adult dragon we'd best just go with it" Linra says
"Indeed" Farenisle says
"I haven't seen father today, guess he already left for the ruins" Liara says
"Indeed" Linra says as she looks down a bit sad but jorankra quickly presses her head into Linras neck to try and cheer her up
"Father always feels the worst today though I guess its understandable since its the anniversary of the start of the war and the deaths of everyone in the Valley City" Farenisle says
Jorankra moves her head following the conversation even if she doesnt know whats being said. Liara pets jorankra.
"I just wish father didn't get so closed off on these days" Liara says
"We all do Liara but we all know as sad as he is he will come back more determined than before to keep fighting" Linra says
"Indeed" Farenisle and Liara say
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"I should take Jorankra flying, you two do what you want" Linra says as she gets up and holds onto jorankra then flies up and away
"Mother will take care of anyone" Liara says with a slight smile
"That she will" Farenisle says with a small laugh as he walks away with Liara
Linra flies around high above the city with Jorankra, her wings are out stretched pretending to fly.
"You'll be able to do this yourself soon if Syremai is right" Linra says smiling at Jorankra
Jorankra puffs fire happily.
"These small little reprieves from the dark parts of our world are nice" Linra thinks to herself as she senses a fire in the distance
"Seems the reprieve is cut short" Linra then thinks with a sigh
Linra flies away to a farm that seems to be maintained by non mages, Linra flies down and starts absorbing the fire but Jorankra quickly jumps out of Linra arms and jumps into the fire.
"Jorankra?" Lirna asks confused
Jorankra jumps back out of the fire with a small wolf pup wrapped in her wings.
"A wolf pup?" Linra asks confused and she checks on the pup as she keeps absorbing the fire
A small family run over.
"Queen Linra? You came to help us?" A man says
"I sensed the fire so I came to help" Linra says with a small smile
"Thank the first for you Queen Linra" Another man says
"I do want to know how the fire started and why a wolf pup was in the fire" Linra says
"Wolf pup?" A woman asks
"Indeed, Jorankra went into the fire and found a wolf pup" Linra says as she points back to Jorankra
"The pup may have come in to take some of the food when the fire started other than that I have no idea where the pup would have come from" One of the men say
"Possible, now what caused the fire?" Linra asks
"We dont know, we saw someone running away from our house just as the fire started" They three say
"Someone lit the fire purposefully?" Linra thinks but as she ponders this an arrow comes straight towards her head but she luckily dodges it
"Assassin, get down!" Linra shouts as she draws her blade and looks towards where the arrow came from
In the nearby trees an archer sits preparing to fire a few more arrows when a bird suddenly pecks at their face.
"Son of a-" The assassin starts to whisper in annoyance but quickly Linra makes the trees branches smack the assassin out of it forcing them to the ground
Linra then quickly speeds over to the assassin and puts her blade to their neck.
"I'll take it you started the fire" Linra says
"So what if I had?" The assassin says
"What it in hopes to lure me or someone else of my family out or was this a added bonus?" Linra asks
"I successfully lured you out" The assassin says with a smirk
"Even used that wolf pup to keep you in place for longer" The assassin then says causing linra to be a bit angered
"You deplorable bastard" Linra says
"It worked though" The assassin says as he grabs a dagger and teleports behind Linra then stabs her causing her to yell in pain
Jorankra looks over and quickly runs over and puffs fire at the assassin. The assassin laughs at Jorankra.
"How pathetic" The assassin says as he stabs Linra again but she quickly turns her sword around and stabs behind herself and into the assassins side
"FUCK!" The assassin shouts as he moves back from the pain
Jorankra puffs more fire until she continually breathes fire at the assassin lighting him on fire in seconds, the assassin screams in pain as his flesh burns very quickly killing him. Linra looks at Jorankra.
"I almost forgot how much more dangerous dragon fire is compared to that of normal fire" Linra thinks to herself as she walks over and picks up jorankra and pats her head
"Well done Jorankra" Linra says as she starts healing herself
Linra looks over at where the wolf pup is resting and a larger wolf walks over to it and picks it up by the scruff of its neck and runs off.
"Well at least they are safe as well" Linra thinks to herself
Linra walks over to the family of the burnt farm.
"I'll send some people to come and repair your farm, the assassin burned your farm so dont worry about having to pay for the reconstruction we'll take care of it" Linra says
"Thank you Queen Linra though I must ask about temporary housing, they burned our house on the farm" The woman says
"Ill teleport us all back to Reinholm and theres a place to stay closer to the castle ask the owner to scan your memories and they'll know I sent you" Linra says
All of them nod.
Linra teleports back to Reinholm with them all while Reinlas stands alone in the ruins and ashes of the Valley City. Even after the years pile on, the ruins don't change save for the memorial put in the heart of the once giant city. Reinlas looks around.
"Every time I come here the city feels alive yet dead at the same time, even with whats to come it still feels wrong" Reinlas thinks to himself as he walks deeper into the city
Reinlas begins to hear voices echo throughout the ruins, from under rubble or behind corners or behind old walls that still stand. They speak as if nothing is wrong.
"And the dead speak again" Reinlas thinks to himself as his visions warped and the city around him returns to life as it was the day the war broke out, before Keireens attack
As Reinlas walks through the now unbroken streets he sees people talking, playing and going about their daily lives. Reinlas sees Farenhale speaking with a guard, hes heard this conversation many times over the years but everytime he feels worse knowing the looming threat for Farenhale at this moment. Reinlas just wants to reach out and tell him that he needs to leave with everyone but knows he wont hear him.
"These damned visions, can't even block these ones" Reinlas thinks to himself as he keeps walking towards the heart of the city where the Valley City castle sat but where its ruins now lay
Reinlas looks at the memorial its a big carved stone adorned with many small symbols to represent families with things placed around it for families without symbols on the memorial itself. A message is engraved on the memorial.
"To those that lost their lives on the day Keireen attacked we bid you farewell and rest, if you can hear us or see this message you are in our thoughts. You will be avenged, may the lives that were robbed from you be used to free others from a life tyranny. You all fought well, go with the First" Reinlas reads and then looks down at the bottom of the memorial and places an old book there with a banner wrapped up
"We could have made a better message but no one knew the right words, just as I never know what to put here, it never feels right" Reinlas says to himself as the vision continues around him and the memorial with Farenhale crashing down infront of Reinlas
The vision plays out like it did all those years ago and Farenhale dies where the memorial stands causing Reinlas's eyes to turn black.
"No matter what happens Farenhale I will avenge you and everyone else, I know not if you can hear me especially now with the war beasts and with no knowledge of what happens after death but if you can hear me. I miss you brother" Reinlas says as he kneels down infront of the memorial with tears streaming down his face as he stays there even as the day becomes night...