Third Loss in the 77nd year of the New Order

Arakiel il Kalanaar squeezed his seraphine’s delicate hand a little tighter as they strode past the wooden door leading to this temple’s only portal room if the priestess of the god-in-grey was to be believed. It was located behind a small, bland corridor lit by an elongated tube of light and the second wooden door that barred entry gave way silently, revealing a perfectly monochrome grey room whose only decorations were two similar sources of light alongside a small plate of see-through glass near the eastern portion of the wall.

Without further ado, he approached the small device of glass and put his free hand onto it. It felt cold to the touch.

As soon as he let go, it briefly lit up in a languid grey color and when that faded, a faint, low sound informed him of the swirling grey, elliptic tear in the plane’s very fabric having opened right behind him – the path towards his home plane, towards the Eternal City of Kalanaar. It was the reason the priestess didn’t need to act as conduit.

Arakiel turned and his eyes briefly crossed over the other two people that were right here before they fixated onto the portal that would lead him back home, off of this accursed plane which had taken much but taught him even more.

“Are you ready to return home?” He asked softly towards the small, silent person wearing a long, wide hooded cloak of pristine white and to his surprise, Mellia actually pulled back her hood in order to face him – something she hadn’t done for the past week which she mostly spent in solitude and reflection. His little sister had cut her silken, curvy ginger hair to shoulder-length whereas her green eyes with the golden sprinkles relayed a certain sense of relief. She even managed to form a faint smile on her full lips before she spoke up in her clear, melodious tone.

“Doth thou truly need to ask?” Mellia began in her unusual way of speaking and to this day, he still wasn’t quite sure where she picked it up. As far as he was aware, there were a few plays that used such language, but to have someone adopt it for everyday speech – it was quite novel; novel and irritating as Mellia very, very rarely broke her character.

Next to him, Aurora smiled her brightest smile as she fondly and somewhat proudly looked Mellia over – and she had every right to, for it was only because of her that Mellia was here and not far away, in the clutches of a pair of seelie twins that sought to…

Arakiel stopped his mind from wandering off, instead fixating solely onto the ascendant Enchantress who continued, saying. “Very well. I shall indulge thy rhetorical question by asking one of mine own: art thou content, o brother mine?”

Mellia slightly tilted her head as she examined him up and down as if to gleam some sort of deeper meaning.

“I am fine if that’s what you’re asking,” Arakiel returned and answered right away, adding. “Want me to query about your well-being?”

“Thou hath done so for the past weeks, Arakiel. Mine state is as firm as it can be, given the circumstances,” Mellia replied and then gestured towards the portal, asking in a somewhat sweet tone. “Perhaps it would be prudent to continue such talks for later?”

Arakiel felt Aurora squeeze his hand a little tighter and he looked to the side, towards his aurea-turned-seraphine. Even here in the slightly dim light of the tubes, her radiant beauty shone beyond compare: long lustrous locks of golden hair that fell loosely beneath the admittedly inadequate grey cloak that covered her body; a pair of radiant golden eyes and an immaculate countenance that he could stare at for hours and always find something more to adore.

He found himself smiling, as he liked to do whenever he glanced at her, whenever he looked her over. The missing adornment on her neck still irked him, but he had agreed to do it, had agreed to free her, had agreed to follow through on something that should be unthinkable for a Kalanite – and yet, he had done so. And he’d do it again for her … and only for her.

Aurora was his slave no longer and even though it pained to admit it – it had been the right thing.

She was his still, after all – just differently.

“Lady Mellia is correct,” Aurora added quietly, her sonorous voice pleasuring his ears beyond compare. In a way, him letting her become his seraphine – a term both agreed to call her now – had given her an entirely new angle for…

He once again shoved his thoughts aside as he nodded quietly, focusing onto the portal once more while a pleasant vanilla scent began to make its way up his nostrils. It held the faintest fragrance of rose.

The way home.

Home.

At last, it was over, had been over for a few days now.

Nyanna and Alanna were gone, just like Selene and Ezekiel.

Even if the southern Djinnis still lived, they’d be unable to stop the House from taking over this minor plane. He had fulfilled his mother’s task, had completed a planeswalk.

It had cost him nearly everything and more, but he was here, still – and stronger than before, although he still lamented the loss of his abilities as Traveler.

Taking heart, Arakiel steeled his mind and let go of Aurora’s hand before taking a step towards the portal.

“Let’s return. We are done here,” he concluded and in his mind, he put this particular chapter to a close. A new chapter awaited, one whose outcome was still far from certain.

He was, after all, still a wanted criminal.

Mellia nodded and pulled her hood up once more.

“I shall see you on the other side. Make haste.”

Then, she stepped through the portal without any hesitation.

As soon as Mellia vanished inside the silent elliptic rift, Aurora strode past him towards the portal, yet her wondrously white feathery wings fluttered notably, betraying her nervousness. This was, after all, the first time that she consciously stepped through a portal.

Arakiel reached for her hand once more, giving her a slight, appreciative nod. “No need to fear it, my love.” He soothed, encouraged. “It’s like stepping through any door, except this one leads to another plane entirely.”

She beamed another smile at him and if the way she squeezed his hand was any indication, he had just helped her immensely.

Aurora’s breathing decelerated and after exhaling a particularly long breath of air, she took heart and made the next step.

Without letting go, he followed along and just as they were about to step through, he suddenly pulled her close, causing her to yelp out rather lovely while he fully embraced her.

In a playful, almost dance-like motion, he made them both step through the portal and for the briefest of moments, everything became grey – and then they emerged inside a small, dimly lit room with simple, paneled walls and a similarly simple ceiling.

For a moment, it was thoroughly silent, but then Aurora glared at him indignantly while her own arms began to coil around him with as much force as she could muster; but when she realized that it was already over, she rapidly switched her expression, made a cute little upset noise and instead kissed him on the lips without any warning whatsoever.

Tit for tad.

She tasted of vanilla – his favorite.

Her wings began to embrace him as well and for a moment, there was only warmth, gold and vanilla alongside the faintest scent of rose.

He relished in it.

It helped to soothe him, strengthen him for what lay ahead.

When their lips parted a little later, he heard Mellia clear her throat from the sidelines.

“Perhaps thou shouldst focus on the task at hand?” She asked somewhat mockingly – something he hadn’t heard Mellia do in a long while.

Her words caused Aurora to take a step back, although she didn’t let go of his hand.

Arakiel couldn’t repress a chuckle and felt just a little lighter than before – and that was it: playtime was over.

Arakiel headed over towards the portal room’s exit as the grey tear silently fizzled out behind him, putting a definite finish on his first proper planeswalk ever since becoming a Mortal Ascendant. Whether it’d be counted as a success… that was for his family and House to decide.

He himself wasn’t quite sure yet. Given the odds, it had to be considered a success and yet he couldn’t stop his mind from briefly returning onto the battlefield where the seelie twins had murdered his entire army with one spell.

A shiver ran down his spine, but Arakiel quickly shoved the thoughts aside.

As soon as he, Aurora and Mellia exited the little corridor that held dozens of doors leading to other portal rooms for Kalanaar’s planeswalkers, they stepped into the grand basilica of Kalanaar’s Gateway of Divinity and from one moment to another, quiet awe struck Arakiel yet again.

Up above below the high vaulted ceiling hang large white lighting crystals in the circular connections of the ribs while to the side, large plain grey walls and fifty-four massive columns kept the basilica stabilized whereas large windows allowed normal sunlight to enter the incredibly spacious hall.

The central aisle was still as devoid of benches as he recalled and to the left, there in back of the apse, he saw the giant, utterly grey construction in the shape of an oversized pointy arch that rested atop a plinth, only reachable by climbing exactly twenty steps and not one step less or more: the Gateway of Divinity – the very place where a level 20 planeswalker could attempt to obtain a golden spark of divinity.

As per usual, there were many people of different shapes and sizes moving about here… most of them covering their countenance one way or another – most proclaiming their allegiance to one of the seven Houses whereas some went for more neutral colors. The sole exception to this were the priestesses and priests of the Transcended, garbed in black robes with four to seven stripes of grey that attended the needs of their flock.

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Arakiel wasn’t quite sure why, but seeing the bustling activity in the Gateway being the same as ever soothed him. It reminded him that no matter what, the planes just went on.

He pulled his own lone surviving cloak in the colors of House Alexandrite – green and red – a little tighter and quietly motioned Aurora and Mellia to follow. One did not speak here unless it was absolutely necessary; even those that did did so quietly and with reverence.

They easily crossed the grand hall without any interference, even if some of the other passing planeswalkers undoubtedly looked him and Aurora over but if anyone recognized them, they didn’t say so. As per usual, people in the Transcended’s district just passed by one another for everyone was busy one way or another.

It had been just been over eight months at this point, which was surreal to think about. So much had happened, his life upended not once but twice.

Alas, he had spent enough time on such musings over the past days – it was time to act.

As soon as he left the Gateway through one of the large double doors, the three of them stepped onto a large square whose pavement was entirely grey while right in the middle, a large monolithic stele of thoroughly smooth black stone stretched roughly ten to twelve meters towards the sky while all around them, the air turned golden just like the sky.

Aurora’s mouth widened to a gasp, but no sound escaped – for silence reigned supreme here in the Threshold. One was to contemplate the Transcended’s gift of gold to mortalkind in serene quietude – as some people did just now. They knelt down somewhere on the square, their hands clasped in prayer while their minds undoubtedly tried to gleam the Transcended’s many gifts while the Pillar of Night remained as mysterious as ever.

All around him, the urbane and imposing architecture of the Transcended’s district arose with its decorative facades while further in the back, the seven hills of Kalanaar could be glimpsed through some of the vistas that the streets leading towards this particular place offered.

To the north, the seat of the Bejeweled Council and far, far further behind it, the Alexandrite Keep, the Colorchanging Tower and the Gardens of Alexandria… the seat of power for his House – his home.

A home he was of yet barred from, for he should still be a criminal, accused of anti-immortal terrorism. Laughable, considering the Kalanite stance on immortals, yet diplomatic tensions between Selenya and Kalanaar were something else entirely.

Alas, there was no sense in opening this particular bag of shards right now so instead, he motioned past the Threshold towards the north and unlike last time, there shouldn’t be an imperial Selenyean entourage that’d block his way.

The air here in Kalanaar was pleasantly warm and fresh, smelling of something he couldn’t quite place something floral perhaps?

For a brief moment, he let his gaze wander across this imposing city of his and in doing so, he spotted glimpses of several large structures as well as a myriad of people that were flying overhead, their means of defying gravity the perfect means by which to cross the city.

He recalled the part where the seelie sisters made him and his party fly – and in doing so, he felt a shudder running down his back.

Nonetheless, Arakiel had returned.

Only now that he began to walk on perfect pavement once more did the gravity of this realization kick in. Back when he was still a Traveler, he had often returned to this city without any second thoughts whatsoever… but right now, he felt almost touched, nostalgic even.

As soon as they left the Threshold, the heavy golden tinge in the air vanished and the sky above turned blue once more, even if a fraction of gold still lingered about as it was normal in the Transcended’s district. At this point, Mellia spoke up in a calm, concise tone.

“Arakiel. Thou shouldst wait nearby until I have spoken to mother.”

“Please do so, Mellia.” He returned and his little sister left him and Aurora without further ado.

“Are you worried?” Aurora asked carefully as though she was afraid to speak up at first. To the front, a small group of presumably planeswalkers approached, but Arakiel couldn’t make out any specifics. Half a dozen people with whitish cloaks – might be tied to the House of Diamond – but he didn’t care enough to keep looking.

Instead, he feasted on his seraphine’s lovely face and her incredibly gorgeous golden eyes, replying with increasing determination. “I’d lie if I wasn’t… but it’ll be fine. We accomplished something great in these past months. My family will support me.”

“I’m sure they will. After all, you were given a nigh impossible task and you succeeded – and so swiftly, too. They’d be fools.” Aurora answered, trying to reassure him and although he mostly believed what she said, there was still a bit of doubt left in him… not that it mattered.

If his family abandoned him, he’d have nowhere to return to and although he had plundered some of the Middle Kingdom’s treasury, it wouldn’t last for long.

If push came to shove and his mother as the family head denounced him, he’d need to return to that accursed minor plane and bleed it dry before the southern rulers got their act together – and then…

Arakiel dared not think further, even if he had played out this particular branch a few days prior, albeit reluctantly. He didn’t want to believe it, after all. Nonetheless, he wasn’t thinking only for himself any longer. No matter what happened, he needed to pave the way forward, for Aurora, for… his unborn…

His mind went into a brief state of shock as it did whenever it tackled that particular subject and just as rapidly, he banished it, skipping it.

Conquering a minor plane in just over half a year… it was no small feat – and not everyone needed to know he had immortal help. In fact, the less people knew, the better.

With nothing to do but wait, Arakiel and Aurora continued to walk down the tidy, wide streets of the Transcended’s District for a little longer until they reached one of the few small parks which offered a means to sit down and relax between beds of blooming flowers, lush and vibrant trees alongside a small fountain in the shape of a heron.

One of the benches had a low enough rest for winged beings and after they sat down, Aurora snuggled up to him while they let their heads and bodies rest against one another.

His gaze inadvertently fell towards her cleavage that lay a bit exposed after she loosened her cloak, where he spotted the tear-shaped iridescent opal on a leather necklace that the seelie Nyanna had given her. She claimed not to know what it did and whenever she said so, he couldn’t detect any deceit in her voice – yet no matter what she did, she didn’t take it off. It was quite obvious that his seraphine had made some kind of deal with the seelie, although Aurora refused to disclose any details, claiming it was a matter between the two of them.

She further refused to speak about the reason that the twins had released Mellia even if he knew it was because of her – the pride in her words back then were impossible to fake.

Besides, Aurora was a terrible liar and although he could probably force her to disclose it if he really needed to know, he’d rather not. He wanted to know, but he didn’t want to force her.

For now, Arakiel wasn’t quite sure how he should treat Aurora going forward – especially in regards to his family. She was his aurea no longer, so he’d need to make some sort of choice for her to be allowed to live with him as her being his seraphine was undoubtedly not a legal term – alas, such a choice could wait just a little longer. It was something his mother would need to enshrine into law.

They remained like this for a while as the citizens of the Eternal City of Kalanaar just went about their daily lives. Now and then, someone came by and a few even took a peek, but none approached them. As far as they were concerned, it was just a member of one of the seven Houses relaxing with his special someone, which was true. Aurora was exceedingly special to him, just as he was to her.

Time flew by and Arakiel felt at peace – something he hadn’t felt for a long while. In this moment, all his worries were out there, something to be tackled just a little later.

He enjoyed the peace, relished in it.

For a brief moment of time, he could relinquish his worries to oblivion.

That changed sometime later, when a person bearing the colors of House Alexandrite approached from the north, aiming straight towards them.

A tall man with short dark hair and brown eyes. Arakiel didn’t recognize him, but he could tell that the man was seeking him.

He gave Aurora a gentle kiss on the head and after a bit of confusion, she spotted the presumed messenger as well.

Both got up, still holding hands.

“Fear the Void, Lord Arakiel,” the man greeted him traditionally, to which Arakiel returned a proper answer right away.

“May His Light deliver us!”

The Kalanite that belonged to Arakiel’s House nodded contently, his handsome face briefly looking them over. If he thought something, he hid it perfectly behind a mask of indifference.

Instead, he quickly focused Arakiel and spoke up in a calm voice, announcing. “The Lady Alexandrite bade me to provide you safe passage to the Alexandrite Keep.”

In the same vein, he drew a line from top to bottom, causing a grey, elliptic portal to appear right away.

“A Traveler?” Arakiel asked with recognition and surprise. An experienced one at that, to make a portal this casually.

The man gave him a slightly pained smile, something his voice relayed in a slightly more unfriendly manner. “Reduced to a mere errand boy, indeed. Alas, the Lady Alexandrite is worried that your return has already been noted. Given how you decided to walk around in the open with your visage for all to see… I daresay her worry is well-founded.”

“Spare me your vitriol,” Arakiel returned somewhat irritably, adding. “Before I enter – prove to me that my mother send you.”

The man’s crooked smile cracked and he began to chuckle. “At least you’re not completely gullible,” he noted with some acknowledgment before he protruded something from his finely-tailored garment’s pocket that he handed over towards Arakiel.

“See for yourself.”

Arakiel took the item which lay hidden in the man’s fist, holding out his own hand. Whatever intentions he had, they couldn’t be of a hostile nature for any such actions would be punished by the Transcended in his own district.

The Traveler opened it, letting a small-yet-intricate golden ring with a cut alexandrite fall into Arakiel’s hand. It wasn’t just any ring, however. The gold shone with a soft sheen, almost as though it was infused by a spark of divinity.

This was Alexandria’s signet ring, a two-of-a-kind item that only she and her consort Erythrai were allowed to wield.

“Who are you!?” Arakiel gasped, looking the Traveler over more intensely this time.

His stature appeared like that of a trained man, the face suggested he was a man in his thirties, yet his dark eyes spoke of wisdom far beyond those years. His clothes were tidy and neat and he wore no open weapons and Arakiel felt no threat at all from this man, which was either a sign that he was exceedingly capable at concealing his capabilities or he was no actual threat. Arakiel suggested the former.

The Traveler smiled once more, seemingly amused. “Someone who has her trust, apparently,” he returned somewhat mysteriously before the gaze fell onto Aurora. “And I can at last see why she thinks so highly of you who has so far failed in every possible metric.”

To their surprise, the man suddenly made a small, overemphasized bow and then added in a hushed but serious tone. “You should enter, quickly. Tell Alex to visit me sometime when she isn’t neck-deep in council matters.”

Arakiel’s hand tightened around the ring. It was made from pure naara, this much was certain and it looked exactly as he recalled his mother’s signet ring to be. Either someone made an excessively expensive replica and risked the ire of a demigoddess, or this man had truly been sent by his mother – a Traveler with the means of bringing him right into the Alexandrite Keep, where even the Bejeweled Council wouldn’t be able to get to him right away.

“Whose words should I convey?” Arakiel asked, hoping for at least a name.

Once again, the Traveler chuckled. “Very well, pup. Since you’re practically begging at this point. Name’s Gregorion or just Greg. Alex and I go way back. Now be a good little boy and step through the portal alongside her Majesty lest I spank the both of you.”

“We’re in the Transcended’s District.” Arakiel stated-matter-of-factly.

Gregorion rolled his eyes before he let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Get. In. I’m not asking anymore.”

There was a finality about the way he spoke that left no doubt that he meant it.

Arakiel examined the ring in his hands one last time and sighed as well, saying. “Very well. Thank you for your service, Traveler.”

The man chuckled in response, the kind of chuckle that hinted at more – especially as it had appeared right when Arakiel called out his class.

For a moment, he considered querying more, but it was kind of obvious at this point that Gregorion’s patience was nearing its limit – perhaps it had already crossed the threshold.

He took a quick look towards Aurora, who gave him a small but confident nod, saying. “I detect no deceit in his voice.”

“Very well.”

Without further ado, the two stepped through the portal, just as another wave of citizens approached from the distance.