During the next month, Kazius and his friends were busy. Training did not slow down, but now they also had repairs to supervise.

Fixing Blossom was a surprisingly simple task, thankfully other than the fields, most of the structural damage was centered around the palace. The people of Blossom were skilled builders… And considering the situation, they were more than eager to do the job once the food from Vargstam arrived.

Their new hero, the one who save them and their former Lady from a fatal misunderstanding… The one who had gotten the Ancient Dragon to submit to his will… Kazius become a bigger Legend for both his people in Blossom and Vargstam alike. The pedestal that Sakura has once been placed on had naturally become his and so much more.

Once the builders were done with repairs, two new tasks were created. One, unify the new territory with a road. From Vargstam to Blossom to the Cemetery, it all was theirs.

Considering how Ratier, Thimdur, and Zelphar were stuck against the edge of the continent… This new kingdom was actually bigger than the 3 combined. Their fairy tales and lies had stunted their growth and their technology, and that a mistake Kazius intended to make them regret to their very core.

The second task was to build a proper palace. One that was his. This palace could only be in one place… And that was Vargstam. A place that meant a lot to them.

One big problem though was… There was the threat of Elande… But Kazius had a working theory on the issue of the Edict Knights and The Church. They had The Oracle… The inferior magic artifact derived from the technology from ruins like The Hall of Mirrors in Mount Ulf. There was also the fact that a human like Lazne was still alive. He likely understood enough about such artifacts to show recent futures… But they likely couldn’t use The Oracle to look at the recent future with much accuracy… The future can change so much the closer range it got… The fact they were not already in Blossom proved that much…

Kazius had also verified that Elande was no longer at the cemetery. It made sense… The highest ranked Edict and son of the first Pope had more responsibilities than to monitor such a place. The fact they sent Elande after them showed for certain that they are seen as a threat. The extent of this was only verified with how through he was… There was not a single undead left standing in The Cemetery.

It stirred a deep hatred in Kazius. That all of him seemed to agree on.

Still, he wouldn’t allow Remus to not be put to rest properly. Even as Kazius was, there were emotions and affection he would not compromise on.

Today the group had a meeting in the typical room they’ve been having meetings in since Sakura had stepped down as Lady. Kazius had Sakura attend their meetings, Vidir has joined as promised… And surprisingly, Rowan had stepped back from his brothel and started to take a more active role as well.

“We estimate it will take another month to finish al construction.” Alice stated as she looked over a report from the builders. She had a finger in just about everything and was a good accomplice to Kazius when it came to the deeper secrets of his actions. The woman was truly born to be a Queen and had the talent as well as education to do so.

“That leaves one important matter… With Blossom and Vargstam being under one umbrella, I believe a proper name for our new Kingdom should be created.” Alice admitted, getting universal agreement from everyone in the room.

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“Oh! Oh! Friends Kingdom!” Eve exclaimed giddily.

“That is a lovey name, my love, but I do think the King should be the one to decide such a thing.” Azanor stated with a loving smile to the woman. The two were now in a proper relationship of sorts, but it was clear nothing had jogged any memories or sense from the Elf, but that no longer bothered Azanor.

“It is only right.” Damon would agree with an eager nod. The male had his usual energy… But since Remus’ death and the loss of his eye, the Werewolf was a lot more serious and quieter. Combine that with the events with Luna… He did seem quite different. He spoke with proper volume for the occasion and was a lot more solemn.

Despite this, the time he spent with Sakura did increase every day. This time seemed to do him some good. His goofy grin was replaced with a more moderate one, but on rare occasions the Kitsune woman would make him smile all the more. The events with Luna, while it did cause Damon a lot of grief, it did bring them closer. The fact they fancied each other was obvious. Something that brought everyone in the group much joy, especially Rowan.

After all, Sakura too had changed. The Kitsune woman looked much more relaxed and less suffocated. Though that did not mean the events with Luna had not left their own scar on her.

These results left half of Kazius with unease, the other half with glee. At the core of his being, no matter what he would become, what mattered was his love for his friends… And the desire to protect them… By any means necessary. And to do that he needed power, power which he would also acquire by any means necessary. These feelings caused quite the conflict within Kazius, but since remorse was now a foreign emotion to him, such guilt did not get far.

Love and hatred fueled thirst for power, it was who Kazius was. Who they were.

“I do understand the importance of the matter… But there is something more important that we must take care of.” Kazius admitted, his words earning him curious gazes.

“I refuse to leave Remus where he died.” He finally admitted, “We have to give him a proper burial… So we will al take a short trip to The Cemetery… And lay him to rest… It is only right.” Kazius admitted with a solemn look, almost sounding like his old self while speaking in such a way.

Alice seemed relieved and content at his words, but sadness washed over her face, “I have been wanting to bring that up… But I know there was a lot to do.” She admitted in dismay.

“You are my Queen, Alice… At least that is what I hope you to be… You can bring something of this importance without hesitation to me… We are in this together after all.” Kazius stated warmly. His words were sweet, but Alice knew he meant more than just sweet things with them. Yes there was good with it, but during this month the two had done somethings… Things that should stay in the dark.

Just like the relationship of the others, theirs had grown, but in turn so had the darkness within her own heart.

“I will remember that.” Alice stated with her own sweet smile, her smile resembling those Kazius made. Perhaps she spent a bit too much time with him. “I would love if we could lay Grandpa to rest.”

“I want to go.” Damon agreed, after all Remus had been quite kind to him. He showed him care that his own parents never did.

“Do you even have to ask? Of course, I’ll go.” Azanor responded.

“Me too!” Eve added contently.

Sakura nodded in understanding, “I will join you then… I had not realized you had such things to do… I’ve heard great things about Remus… I too would want to pay my respect to a friend of my father… But who will keep things going here if we all go? There is still so much to do.”

Rowan frowned, sighing, “I will stay… I doubt people here will be happy to hear that their King and leaders are gone… I can be all of you… Need be… If you leave with enough discretion.”

Vidir shrugged, “I will stay as well… I have no business with some-” Vidir began only to stop his insult when everyone in the room gave him quite the look.

“Never mind… Regardless, there is little interest in this… I will keep things organized here as well… I will do the thinking, I will allow the Shapeshifter to do the talking.” Vidir stated with a pleased grin.

“Then it is decided… We will dwell on the name while we go on our trip… Let’s prepare things so they run smoothly before we go.” Kazius stated, before the group would resume their work.