Aurora awoke to a well-lit room that heavily smelled of vanilla, lavender and milk.

The air felt warm on her skin, comfortable even, but there was a slight acidic, bitter taste in her mouth.

She was still wearing her usual attire and seemed to be lying on some sort of couch. The surface felt a bit stiff, but still much comfier than the bedroll of the past…

Her mind made a jump and she jolted up, looking around in a hurry.

At the same time, she subconsciously called upon her soul’s fire as her skin became wreathed in shallow, golden flames. Her wrap of gossamer silk lightly veiled the gold around her arms, but it was still quite visible.

She had come to in a living room of some sort; wooden furniture, a mirror, paintings, cabinets with glasses and the like. It all looked rather fancy and as though someone had put thought into it, but what drew her attention were none of those things.

Three of Count Eremon’s daughters were there, dressed in more or less the same outfit, on the floor nearby, hugging one another in silence. She recognized the blonde girl that had ensorcelled her champion right away, despite her hair being wet and darker.

Anger flared up in inside Aurora, but it cooled right away when she looked around again to properly take in her surroundings.

The girls on the floor, her lying here… it might be a nobleman’s house, perhaps even the count’s. In this case, Arakiel had brought her here and he wouldn’t leave her alone unless he was nearby.

Her suspicion was more or less confirmed as she got up, her steps on the soft carpet making no noise at all. Above her, however, she heard heavy footsteps approaching swiftly.

A few steps forward and as she turned around, she saw her champion and his party member wearing somewhat similar outfits in green and brown colors that reminded her of what count Eremon had worn, just less festive. It also didn’t quite fit them, seemingly too tight or wide.

It was a shame since she had quite liked his old outfit… but it had fallen to the flames.

Flames.

She felt as though she should smell something horrible right now, but there was only this cozy scent in the air. A bit too pungent, even.

“You’re awake already?” Arakiel asked worriedly as he hurried down the stairs in order to hug her, his expression relaying a lot of concern. “How are you!?”

It surprised her a little, almost enough to make her blush, although that happened when he did begin to embrace her. He was so warm and he smelled of wonderful lavender; on second thought, maybe a bit too much lavender. Still, it was tolerable.

“I’m fine,” Aurora returned, adding in a slightly sheepish tone. “Should I not be?”

“He’s afraid you’ve suffered from witnessing the events at the square,” Ezekiel added from the side, causing an immediate reaction from her champion.

“What are you doing!?” He gasped in disbelief with a tinge of anger.

“The square… the square,” Aurora began as she briefly skimmed her thoughts. She found blood, death and fire – but it did not concern her. She had no connection or affection for these people and why should she?

It did, however, seem to affect him. She could tell from his look, the way he worriedly touched her, the way he searched her eyes for any signs of discomfort.

It honored her, flattered her that he cared so much about her, yet Aurora couldn’t quite find joy in it just yet. After all, it seemed to affect her champion quite a bit, actually.

“Ah, yes.” She spoke up and sighed with some regret. “I am fine, my love – there’s no need to worry about me.”

“Are you sure?” Arakiel queried, sounding surprised.

“You had no hand in it, my champion.” She pointed out in an attempt to reassure him. To add a bit to it, she recalled a passage from a novel she had read some odd half-year ago. “Many stories say that cruelty begets cruelty. A vicious cycle from which neither can escape unless an outside force intervenes.”

“But…”

Aurora frowned, not quite understanding why her champion was so moved by this event.

On second thought, it irritated her a bit… in fact. “Need I remind you that these people eagerly tortured Lordling Zari Amar? That their ruler’s son tried to rape me while spouting nonsense about how he was ‘blessing’ me? That his sister defiled you?” Aurora listed right away, not quite unable to hide her disgust at the last words.

“She didn’t defile me.” Arakiel returned right away, trying to wave it off. Aurora reached for his face, holding it in place while she looked at him.

“She kissed you against your will, Arakiel.” Aurora stated in no uncertain terms, her voice properly conveying how upset she was at this statement.

“It’s nothing,” her champion again tried to wave it off, but Aurora wouldn’t and couldn’t accept that just so.

“How would you feel if some foreigner kissed me against my will!?” She demanded to know right this instant.

His expression darkened in an instant, the conqueror taking over. “I’d kill him on the spot.” He answered without hesitation.

“So why am I not allowed to be outraged when a woman does it to you!?” She asked, feeling the urge to kiss and bite him at the same time. It frustrated her just a little bit… not, quite a bit actually. Maybe add a little tease in as well, but not yet.

First, she had to address his obviously distraught state of mind.

“You are allowed to, but it’s not the same,” Arakiel tried to argue, yet Aurora had already expected such an answer.

“Because you own my life, Master?” She spoke for him, reminding. “You are correct only in part! Your dignity also concerns my honor, which you swore to uphold.”

“You’re mincing words,” he returned as his grip tightened a little. In addition, it held traces of irritation and frustration.

Aurora reconsidered her approach, for it was not heading in the direction she wanted. It was the wrong time and more importantly, place.

Slightly to the side, Ezekiel watched with interest and… worry?

“Arakiel, my beloved. It is my duty to serve you,” Aurora reminded him as she often had to, once again switching topics. “And that includes situations like these. You are distraught, but why? You had no connection to these people.”

“It’s just wrong, is what it is.” Her champion responded, lightly shaking his head. His reddish eyes that normally looked so delectable in the firelight were so full of doubt right now.

“But it wasn’t you, Arakiel.” Aurora said softly and he looked at her and his eyes told her that he thought differently, even though he tried to cope with it.

Considering where they were, she decided to drop the matter and instead went for a kiss as she hugged him with body and wings both. It was plain obvious he did not wish to discuss the matter here with the three girls overhearing them. “I still love you, my champion. You came to my aid when I needed you; that is all I care about.”

He returned her kiss and loosened his grip, whispering in a truly affectionate and glad tone. “Thanks, my love.”

It made her heart jump for joy. He had said it, had finally said it!

She kissed him again, a bit more energetic and bit more forceful this time. Perhaps it would serve as a means to divert his thoughts away from the gloom.

He didn’t deny her and when their lips parted a little later, a thin strand of saliva formed from her to him. Aurora beamed a smile, one that undoubtedly caused some of his doubts to vanish.

Feeling emboldened, he let out a small sigh and then walked over towards the three girls that had most likely observed or overheard most of it.

Aurora’s wings returned to their resting position and she followed him, curious how he had decided to tackle the matter now.

Would the conqueror or her champion win? How were they even defined? She had pondered a bit over the past week, but hadn’t found a conclusive answer yet. In a way, her own indecisiveness seemed to mirror his.

He was taking the necessary steps to conquer this world from what she could tell, but he didn’t seem to fully stand behind his decisions yet as though he wasn’t sure whether or not to truly go down this road.

“Get up,” Arakiel ordered the girls in an authoritative tone while Aurora began to once again hug his right arm while glimpsing at the eldest of the three sisters, the green-eyed, blonde-haired sorceress that had tried to charm Arakiel.

She was also the one that embraced her role as eldest sister after getting up, trying to shield the two younger ones although she lacked any will to actually put up a fight.

It was defiance for defiance’s sake. All bark, no bite.

“Allow me to outline the situation as it currently stands for you,” Arakiel went on a calm, collected tone that still held a tinge of authority in them. It reminded Aurora of the way that Ezekiel usually addressed Selene when they were exercising in the morning and evening.

“Your town has fallen, the defenders are dead or have surrendered. Your father is dead, your mother and siblings have been taken prisoner by the people you call ‘Rats of the Desert’.”

“That’s… that can’t be true!” The eldest sister denied, shaking her head. Her voice, however, betrayed that she had already accepted in part or maybe even in full.

One of her younger sisters whispered something along the lines of it being true which in turn caused the other to cry again.

“It is, Nyanna. I told you the situation has changed, which is why you are still alive.” Aurora’s champion or maybe conqueror went on.

For now, Aurora couldn’t decide which side was shining through more; or maybe she should stop trying to categorize him this way.

“W-what are you going to do to us?” The young woman asked as her gaze switched over to Aurora, who offered her nothing but a polite but bland expression.

In fact, Aurora was more interested in hearing what her conqueror had to say.

“First of all, we’re taking you captive. From now on, you will remain in our custody which means that no one but those affiliated with us may touch or harm you.” Arakiel went on, saying. “While my current goals partially align with the Holy Transcended’s Chosen people, I am not their ally or lackey.”

“D-don’t hurt my sisters I beg of you!” Nyanna plead right away, her voice beginning to tremble.

“We will not hurt you as long as you obey,” Arakiel responded right away and then added. “I assume your sisters haven’t even picked a class yet… but you, Nyanna. If I catch you casting any kind of magic, I will make you regret it!”

“Just don’t hurt us!” The frightened young woman repeated, her body’s language bringing the message across quite well.

Aurora found it hard to pity her. If anything, she felt as though she should be thankful that her champion was such a magnanimous man. Many others would’ve just ravaged the woman for her behavior before crippling or killing her.

The novels were quite vivid and detailed on what the planeswalkers did to humble their defeated foes, especially the kind that had besmirched their honor.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“As I already explained. If you are obedient and do what we tell you, you will not be mistreated.” Arakiel repeated and then added matter-of-factly. “Neither will you be abused or otherwise harmed.”

One of the younger girls once again asked in a teary, quivering voice what exactly they wanted from them. This time, it was Ezekiel that outlined and basically repeated the general gist, telling her that she and her sister would learn to attend him and Selene from now on. As long they did what they were told, then they would remain untouched.

Adding to this, Arakiel addressed the eldest sister directly. “You, Nyanna, will get to prove your earlier words. You promised to do anything and I’ll hold you those words.”

The woman lowered her head, blushing slightly.

Her response was low and sounded very meek. “Y-yes…”

“We will do the rest tomorrow morning. Try to get some sleep.” Arakiel then concluded, after which the two men escorted their captives to what must’ve been Nyanna’s room, given the inventory and the items. The bed was large enough to fit half a dozen people and the siblings seemed more pleased than anything to be confined together.

Afterwards, Ezekiel suggested that they try to investigate the basement now that they were properly clothed and clean of all the earlier stains. Both looked a little weary, but seemed overall fine despite it being well past midnight at this point. Mellia was apparently sleeping next door and when Arakiel asked her whether she felt tired, Aurora declined.

She felt excellent and refreshed, ready to tackle anything.

Truth be told, the cruelty that the townspeople had shown towards Zari Amar distressed her more than the Shamshierum’s retaliation. Zari Amar had been unable to defend himself, whereas the townspeople could’ve surrendered, but instead chose to fight.

Aurora briefly felt reminded of her time at Maidenhold and how one of the first things that any new maiden-to-be learned was to not fight back, to appear harmless.

A smile hushed across Aurora’s lips. Another win over the abbess and her teachings, for although she lacked the will to put up any kind of fight, she would not just stand there and let someone take her if Arakiel was nearby.

No, Aurora had truly outgrown her maidenhood and the mere thought of becoming an emotionally stifled doll filled her not with dread, but with disgust. Arakiel had chosen her to become his aurea while he became her champion.

Together, they would make it far.

Aurora felt so very giddy as she bounced these thoughts in her mind. Her wishes came true, her soul’s fire watched over her and she was traveling alongside her beloved.

Things were rather perfect right now and it was up to her to ensure that Arakiel perceived it as such, too.

But how…

Aurora lost her train of thought when the three of them descended down a set of stone stairs that lay in the back of the mansion, almost as though it was hidden away from plain sight. The stairs suddenly ended in an ornately locked door made out of heavy dark wood, framed with some kind of dark, silver metal. It looked a bit eerie in the sparse candlelight that Ezekiel had brought along. Light crystals weren’t a thing, here. And the Spatial Ring could not bring them along, for they were magical in nature.

Ezekiel pointed to towards the door’s lock which was hidden for Aurora, asking. “That’s an array, isn’t it?”

“Hold the candle a little closer, I can’t see.” Arakiel requested as he knelt down in order to inspect the metallic lock. The corridor was rather tight and Aurora could only peek from the back.

The more she thought about it, the more this sparse light annoyed her. She kind of wished that it’d just be lit enough to make out anything.

Her annoyance sparked a thought.

Surely she could accomplish something like this?

Aurora held out her hand and looked at her palm. Her soul’s fire began to rush out of her, covering her skin in its usual, comforting golden aura.

Then, a few more bits from inside began to rush specifically towards her palm, where a small fire began to burn in her hands as tiny parts of her soul condensed there.

She closed her hand softly, sheltering her fire so that it could transform without shame. Then, she wished upon her soul to make a light, for she was her beloved’s light of dawn.

From one moment to another, rays of soft golden light began to escape her closed hand and when she opened it just a second later, a small orb of light began to float above her palm.

It radiated warm, soothing golden light that thoroughly and gently illuminated her surroundings.

The new sudden and silent source of light caused both men to swirl around.

“This little light, I bequeath to you, my love.” Aurora whispered in an awed voice as she offered the small orb of light to him.

“Now that’s useful,” Selene’s champion noted with approval. Maybe calling him conqueror was more suitable – but could there be two conquerors at once?

She lost the snippet when Arakiel praised her, affirming. “Indeed, very well done, Aurora!”

Arakiel held out his hand while she beamed a smile at the two men, whispering. “Come, little light. Show them the way.”

The orb then playfully jumped over towards Arakiel, floating slightly next to his shoulder.

Ezekiel quenched the candle and put it aside while her champion once again looked over the door, noting with some surprise. “It is an enchantment – several in fact.”

“Look at that lock. It looks much too sturdy to lead into some basement.” Selene’s lord reasoned. Lord seemed like a good compromise, although it kind of didn’t fit. Selene didn’t serve Ezekiel like Aurora did.

She shoved the thoughts aside as the excitement about the current mystery won over. What was with this door?

Arakiel briefly pondered on something, and then suddenly procured a bejeweled key from somewhere, most likely from his Spatial Ring. It did shimmer in the faintest grey whenever he pulled something from it… Aurora just hadn’t paid attention.

“Just a hunch,” He noted as he put the key into the lock and turned it. A clicking sound followed as Arakiel turned the key.

Aurora saw two faint red symbols light up on the door’s angles. Just a moment and they ceased to function, leaving behind thin etchings in the metal.

“Be careful,” Ezekiel warned. “Those were fire enchantments.”

“I wonder what we’ll uncover?” Aurora asked with some suspense. Looting was supposedly the most enjoyable part of any adventure, but so far… she had never been around when they found something good.

Maybe this time?

Arakiel carefully opened the heavy door which creaked quite audibly, the heavy wood having grown indolent over time.

Aurora’s light showed the way, revealing a corridor made of stone, reinforced with heavy wooden beams. There were no means of lighting at all here, no glowing splint, no torches, no braziers – nothing.

Just cold stone and – further in the back – another door. Heavy iron this time. And nothing else.

“Odd,” Arakiel commented.

“Intriguing,” Aurora concluded.

“Careful,” Ezekiel warned.

Arakiel led the way, each step of his heavy boots reverberating off the stone’s surface below, beside and above.

It wasn’t a long corridor, yet it still cautioned them enough to need quite a bit to cross it, almost as though the men expected some sort of trap to spring into motion at any second.

Nothing of the sort happened, though.

Instead, they reached the heavy metal door which was covered with one large array this time, one that had been thoroughly etched into the door.

“That’s a fleeting array if I’m not mistaken. Mellia could undoubtedly tell us more.” Arakiel surmised, but the lock seemed similar to the one earlier.

He held up the bejeweled key and inserted it carefully into the door and, with an even louder noise, the gears or bolts or whatever was inside a lock moved aside.

This time, the door swung open without any creak whatsoever. It moved near silently and unlike last time, it gave way to a room whose floor, walls and ceiling were completely made out of stone.

And then, suddenly, a few whimpers came from inside the room. They sounded young and very frightened.

And then, another coarse voice, one that seemed to lack strength. “Hush, don’t cry or they’ll beat us again.”

Dead, stale air wafted outside the room, filled with a ghastly odor that reeked of humanoid… refuse.

Aurora’s champion stepped inside and then froze almost right away, his eyes locking onto something further in the back.

“Trans’ balls…” Arakiel muttered.

Unable to contain her excitement, she braved the smell and rushed past Ezekiel, her wings protesting heavily as she squeezed herself past him. These things were so annoying inside these narrow paths – all they ever brought her was pain and irritated.

And yet, Aurora would’ve felt maimed without them.

But these thoughts cracked and shattered as soon as her own glimpse followed Arakiel’s.

There, in the back, on a bit of moldy straw next to two wooden buckets, were two naked women huddled together. Both were heavily pregnant by the looks of it and their deeply red eyes stared at Aurora and Arakiel in stupefied disbelief.

Their skin held a slight bronze tinge, although one of them was much more fair of skin than the other. Both had red eyes but the one with the deeper bronze skin had much darker hair than the other one.

The one with the fairer skin was trembling, the other one looked grim – and exhausted, drained. The latter spoke up first, addressing the newcomers. “Eremon is sending guests now, is he?”

“Count Eremon is dead.” Arakiel answered as he made another step into the more or less empty room.

A dirty tray, the bit of straw and the bucket that reeked awful. This was a cell, but not even the confinement chambers in the Maidenhold had been this bleak and… cruel.

“We killed him,” Ezekiel announced, also stepping inside the room. He, too, seemed shaken, but it quickly turned into visible anger across his face.

“You must be Jenaya?” Arakiel then assumed, suggested.

It clicked in Aurora’s mind. This woman was a jinnum, just like Zari Amar.

“How do you know my name?” The bronze-skinned woman asked, a tinge of hope creeping into her voice. It still held massive doubt, but there was a will inside her, one that remained unbroken to this day.

The younger, presumably daughter, meekly raised her voice, asking. “Will you save us?”

“Yes, yes I think we will.” Arakiel said in a voice that barely contained his own fury as he strode across the room. “Jinnum Zari Amar and his Shamshierum have just conquered the city of Boundary. Me and my party are divine envoys from another plane. We have chosen to assist him.”

“Zari Amar? I do not know that name,” the woman called Jenaya answered, more doubts creeping in. “But do what you will, my daughter and I cannot oppose you.”

“Take my hand, let’s get out outside here first.” Arakiel offered, kneeling down next to her while holding out his hand.

“We cannot walk. Our tendons have been cut.”

“What!?” Arakiel exclaimed and as Aurora looked towards their ankles, she saw white, silvery scars shine through on their filth-covered skin.

She didn’t know why, but the sight of these two expecting mothers made her so incredibly angry all of a sudden. Aurora, whose flame had already retreated back, came back with a vengeance and she flared up, even going so far as to draw in flame from her champion.

Jenaya made surprised noises, her daughter’s eyes widened in wonder and Arakiel turned around, but unlike earlier, he did not reprimand Aurora who approached the two women while she fixated onto their ankles.

“Unacceptable,” she heard herself say matter-of-factly. “None should be treated like this… none!”

“Golden fire…?” Jenaya whispered in awe.

The very same fire that Jenaya had called out began to gather in Aurora’s hands as she decidedly knelt down in front of the younger woman first. She squashed the flame in between her hands, causing her palms to take on a golden sheen with which she then touched the ankles while wishing to undo the damage that had been done to the young woman.

“It tickles!” The girl exclaimed a little afraid while the other woman began to speak up in a worried tone. “What are you doing to my daughter!?”

Before any of the men could reply, Aurora answered on her own, stating in a soft, compassionate but also lamenting tone. “I cannot undo the past, but I can give you a future.”

Aurora couldn’t exactly feel it, but she liked to imagine that the warm astral light she sent into the woman would help her see a new dawn for herself, one that didn’t leave her confined in such a disgusting, unworthy and utterly cruel cell.

A little later, the young woman began to slightly move her ankles and her feet along with it. “Mother, mother!” She cried out in disbelief while the bronze-skinned woman began to cry right away at the sight.

“A miracle…? It’s a miracle!”

Arakiel, having removed his overcoat, reached for the younger girl, offering her his hand. “Come, let me help you up. Let Aurora heal your mother as well.”

At the last words, the daughter’s expression changed and she decidedly reached for his hand, who had to pull her up and then support her for her legs just didn’t have the strength to stand on their own yet. But with his help, she could stand and as soon as she did, he covered her with the overcoat, putting it around her like a mantle.

Aurora repeated the process with Jenaya and both mother and daughter just wept as Ezekiel and Arakiel slowly and very carefully helped them to their feet first before carrying them upstairs, out of this wretched cell.

Aurora stayed behind and, at the sight of everything around her, let her soul’s golden fire expand as she wished for all this filth to burn away as though that could somehow restore some of the jinnums’ honor, somehow undo something of the cruelty that had been inflicted upon them.

Now, more than ever, she felt reaffirmed in her earlier sentiment.

She took some grim satisfaction as her golden fire burnt the dried excrement, the moldy straw, the bucket and its shameful content. It cleansed the room of all traces, but it could not erase what had been done.

The past was not her domain.

Aurora could only surmise how long the jinnum had been here, and how much she and her daughter must’ve suffered over past decades. It made her so very angry, furious even.

But then, she recalled that the perpetrator was dead and her anger faded, instead giving way to lament as there was no way to make Count Eremon atone for all the cruelty he had inflicted.

Death had been too easy a way out for him.

Of this, Aurora had no doubt.

Anyone could potentially leave their past behind and welcome a new dawn, but for some… these things had to enforced, by strict punishment if necessary.

But that was only possible if they were alive.

One question, however, remained. It bounced around in her mind, over and over.

Was sin inheritable?