Arakiel and Aurora entered a luxuriously decorated, windowless antechamber which could’ve belonged to just about any of the Houses if not for the three portraits that adorned the sophisticated paneled wall to his left. The paintings depicted his mother Alexandria, his father Erythrai and their eldest son Thersites, the current heir apparent of House Alexandrite.

Meanwhile, the rest of the room reminded Arakiel once again that he had finally returned to a proper urban civilization. Pale lighting crystals gave off a steady inoffensive light whereas heating elements and scent dispensers ensured a pleasant, perfect atmosphere that kept any and all deviations outside. Everything, from inventory to walls and ceiling, was spotless and perfectly maintained, even something as inconsequential as the two potted plants from some exotic plane, for their stems were covered with a softly-glowing red luminescence.

Arakiel only briefly took in his surroundings and then led a somewhat silent Aurora towards the finely-grained dark door in the front. She appeared to grow tenser with every step even if she tried to not let it show… but she had every right to, for their future would be decided here and now, one way or another.

If his family intended to withdraw his support, then neither Aurora nor he would leave this building.

The realization only really hit him now, but he suppressed it and instead chose to believe that his mother wouldn’t invite him if she intended to give him up.

Nonetheless, there was a certain irony to the entire situation: after all, he had spent over a decade trying to maintain independence from his family, only to become utterly dependent on them in this moment.

Until he was acquitted of any potential charges, he couldn’t stay in Kalanaar or any of the Eternal Cities, really.

He shoved the rest of thoughts aside, having thought them long and often over the past days. In the end, he was just stalling right now – with nothing to gain but face to lose.

With a slight smile, he offered his seraphine an encouraging look and got one in response, an expression that spoke of the deep trust she had in him.

It invigorated him, filled him with pride and confidence.

Reaching for the doorknob, Arakiel met this challenge with resolve, whatever guise it chose to wear.

The door gave way to a room that was much grander in every way than the antechamber, an office befitting one of the councilors of the Bejeweled Council, suited for the demigoddess that occupied the Seat of Alexandrite.

The Lady Alexandrite’s workplace consisted of two floors, although the upper floor covered only about a third of the room above the entrance. Three massive windows offered a near-perfect view down towards Kalanaar with the other six hills alongside the Divine Gateway’s resplendent golden tiles and the Bejeweled Council’s palace alongside several other sights, including a sizable portion of little moving dots that soared through the air.

Seven highly-intricate winding columns, each made from a different metal, held up the office’s high, vaulted ceiling and most of the room’s inventory seemed work-related, whether it be a map of Kalanaar framed on the wall or rows upon rows of vellum, books and scrolls, all neatly arranged in shelves that stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

The one thing that caught his eye the most, however, was the dark-colored central desk which was surprisingly devoid of items except for a piece of inscribed parchment, a silvery pot of ink alongside an elaborate feather that depicted a red-yellow-white pattern of some kind.

Or, to be more precise, it were the two people that were surrounding the desk – one of which he quickly identified as his little sister Mellia who now wore a rather casual colorful dress that gave her a lovely, refined appearance, whereas the other person was undoubtedly her mother… their mother.

Several years had passed since he last saw the demigoddess in the flesh and time had done little to change her appearance. In fact, it had done nothing at all. She dressed in a plain, nondescript black dress that roughly outlined her slender physique – just as he recalled. His mother wore her long black hair open and without any adornments for Alexandria didn’t need jewelry or really anything else – she was immaculately divine as is. A notion that had been carried far and wide in song, something she actively encouraged, whether out of vanity or something else, he had never really bothered to ponder.

The Lady Alexandrite – as was her title – sat on a fairly elaborate armchair made of several different kinds of darkened materials, yet her red eyes with the soft amber undertone drew him in more than anything.

She had obviously expected him, for there was not a trace of surprise in her demeanor. No, she examined him intensely, meticulously – there was something about her gaze that evaluated him in a fashion he might not be able to fully comprehend. In a way, she looked through and into him at the same time.

Arakiel, for a moment, was lost for words – unsure what to say, what to speak… what to think, even. He had just entered the room and as soon as he perceived his surroundings, his mind had gone kind of blank.

But before he could regain his composure, pressure visited him – invisible pressure that began to bear down on him from all around and before he realized, he had subconsciously called upon Aurora’s aspect alongside her, causing both of them to burn in an aura of soft golden flames. It alleviated the pressure, albeit just a little – as it returned and increased with every passing second.

Moment by moment, he felt his knees beginning to buckle under the weight when all of a sudden, Aurora squeezed his hand as hard as she could while her body flared up next to him, causing several sigils of gold to form around her and when they dissolved, he felt the force lessen while their skin started to shimmer in a pale, soft golden gleam.

In that moment, Aurora’s flames retreated while he held onto her aspect.

Arakiel tried to speak, to object, to say anything at all – yet no sound escaped. In fact, he could barely manage to open his mouth for his entire body had tensed up, just as his breath had stopped outright… all of which happened apparently without him having realized.

But with Aurora’s help, he and his seraphine remained on their feet, even if their knees and bodies bend a little, standing they remained.

That was, until his mother’s eyes began to turn golden and the next thing Arakiel’s mind comprehended was him hitting the ground so hard it send a painful shock throughout the entire body while insurmountable pressure threatened to steal his breath and just as he was about to asphyxiate, it was over.

His ears rang, his breath turned unsteady and quick and a part of his body began to shiver while his mind tried to catch up with the events.

“Was that necessary, honored mother?” Mellia asked somewhere in front of him – her voice held a hint of curiosity and a heavy tinge of displeasure.

Arakiel scrambled to his knees as he regained control of his faculties while his first conscious action sought out Aurora, fearing she might be hurt – a fear that vanished when he observed her once again blazing body kneeling down next to him, her expression somewhat worried while her hands reached for him.

“My love, are you hurt!?” She asked quietly and quite worriedly. As he began to cough in order to respond, his mother spoke up at last, even if she only deemed it fit to speak a single word for now.

“Curious.”

It held a bit of acknowledgment, a slice of approval and the faintest hint of actual curiosity and Arakiel knew all too well that she wanted him to know that.

“Fine…” Arakiel coughed and then scrambled on his feet with Aurora’s help, her golden eyes showing quite a bit of worry. Thankfully, she didn’t try to question his mother’s actions since he wasn’t yet sure which direction this meeting would take.

He turned to face the Lady Alexandrite as soon as he got up.

The golden glint in her eyes had disappeared while her expression became unreadable except for the fact that she was still examining him.

Mellia, on the other hand, seemed fairly irritated if her slightly narrowed eyes were any indication.

So far, their mother hadn’t moved her body one bit, showcasing quite aptly that she wouldn’t even need to lift a finger to unmake him.

Arakiel slightly hit his chest before applying pressure to it in an attempt to calm down, because as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had been given quite the shock just now – one that kind of prevented him from fully examining and pondering the issue.

A brief moment of relative silence set in where Aurora squeezed his hand even harder while her body began to showcase signs of fear as well – a trait she shared with him.

“You returned earlier than expected,” the Lady Alexandrite then went on to say while her serene expression softened just a little. Her voice rang beautiful in his ears, but there was iciness to it that deeply unsettled Arakiel. He did not recall his mother like that one bit.

“Even further, Mellia pictured me quite a tale of ambition, treachery and deceit, sprinkled with a note of immortal interference.”

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

Another brief pause in which he finally managed to get his faculties under control with steadied breathing and a chance to speak up properly, yet as soon as he tried to raise his voice, he noticed his mother raising a single finger, indicating for him to remain quiet.

“I tasked you with conquest and conquest you delivered – I did not put restrictions onto you, Arakiel. Therefore, I cannot criticize your methods except for reminding you that consorting with immortals is a double-edged sword at best.”

That was putting it mildly and Arakiel found himself agreeing with a grimace. A vision of blooming flowers briefly crossed his mind and an icy feeling in his gut followed. He wanted to claim that it didn’t affect him – that these people had been nothing but faceless pawns… but it would be a lie.

He had been proud of the Smokeless Host, of what they had accomplished.

For it all to end in death because of his actions…

Arakiel gnashed his teeth.

“Take it as a lesson, son of mine,” Alexandria went in a tone that held the faintest trace of warmth. “And now, tell me this: do you think that you succeeded in the task I set out for you?”

The way the demigoddess phrased it made Arakiel hesitant, for his initial reaction would’ve been affirmation. He had brought a minor plane to heel, after all – and that was usually the goal with planeswalks. In this regard, he had accomplished his, didn’t he?

He briefly pondered on the question while his gaze went from her over Mellia to Aurora, who began to tightly embrace his entire right arm as a means to combat her nervousness.

That action caused Alexandria to briefly glance at her, but not long enough to tell him anything.

She tested him – but how?

His hesitation began to paralyze him in a way that started to become worrying. In all the scenarios he had played out in his mind prior to this meeting, he hadn’t considered this particular question or what it might imply and right now, he silently cursed himself for it.

After all these rather impulsive actions, he had wanted to return to a more cautionary approach yet right now, it backfired spectacularly.

And when his mother began to fold her hands and lean slightly forward while Mellia and Aurora looked at him with what might be confusion, Arakiel lightly slapped his left cheek with his free hand, right after which he briefly shook himself to escape from this stupor he had found himself in.

“I did!” He then announced while squeezing Aurora’s hand in return.

Whether it was the wrong or right answer, it didn’t matter anymore. It had been said, but he elaborated on it nonetheless.

“I did succeed, Lady Alexandrite! Not only did I bring a pristine minor plane to heel in under a year, I gained several levels and battled foes who should’ve been much more powerful than me. I am an asset to our House!”

“And yet you returned alone,” Alexandria pointed out right away, asking in a perfectly leveled tone. “Did you discard your allies after achieving your goal?”

Arakiel’s left hand clenched to a fist, the very same sight of the battlefield still fresh in his mind. It hadn’t even been a month. “They perished at the treacherous hand of immortals,” Arakiel admitted, adding. “Immortals whom I had no way of knowing that they were there. And when we found them…”

His voice trailed off as his mind hardened itself against the shame, against the trauma that lay deep.

He turned to the side and embraced Aurora who had begun to shiver even more despite obviously not wanting to.

Neither had truly processed it and he kind of doubted they’d be able to until the day they took proper revenge on Nyanna and her twin.

“Mother, is this truly necessary? I told thee about it so that they didn’t need to!” Mellia objected a little louder and a little more upset this time, even partially foregoing her own antics, something she usually only did when she was very tense or highly emotional.

The Lady Alexandrite’s response came swiftly and authoritatively. “Quiet, daughter.”

No objection returned.

Arakiel raised his voice once more, using his own discomfort as a means to channel it into anger and although he became louder, he did not begin to shout. Getting all riled up wouldn’t do him any good right now. “Do you want me to say that I chose poorly, mother!? If so, I refuse! I could not have anticipated that these realms were secretly ruled by a pair of immortal seelie who just happen to be powerful enough to end my existence with a mere wave of their hands!”

For now, the head of his House listened.

“Considering the myriad outcomes that could’ve happened, we managed one that demanded small sacrifices for significant gains! I wielded the plane’s denizen’s power against each other – it was the only way to win given that there were only two combatants!” Arakiel went on to justify and even though it hurt to say it, it was still the truth.

“So, yes! I did succeed, honored mother. There are none left to defend that plane and it will be easy for our House to establish control – what more could you ask of me!?”

“And what of the next planeswalk?” Alexandria queried calmly, her reddish eyes examining him so very closely while he and Aurora embraced each other even more tightly, seeking the other’s stability. And while he found it, the question left him a little dumbfounded nonetheless.

“Huh?”

“You are alone, Arakiel. You have no party, no allies – you have nothing except for your House that you sought to reject at every opportunity.” His mother went on to speak without any judgment whatsoever.

“I managed before as well,” He returned in a slightly flippant manner. “And I will manage now.”

“I am not yet certain whether that is true, Arakiel.”

“What do you want, mother?!” Arakiel cried out. “I stopped dreaming! I stared reality in the eye, I killed, battled and suffered like any other planeswalker – even more so, I conquered an entire damned plane in under a year and all you have to offer is criticism!?”

Arakiel was starting to become furious as he just couldn’t understand his mother’s problem – something that Mellia seemed to share. Her expression had turned from perplexed to irritated, but she knew better than to speak up right now.

Internally, he tried to remind himself to calm down.

His mother lightly tilted her head, seemingly disappointed if he interpreted her expression correctly – and then she turned her attention to Aurora, asking. “Aurea – what do you think?”

The seraphine flinched at the sudden attention, causing Arakiel to immediately step to the front, shielding her from his mother’s piercing gaze. From behind, he felt her pressing herself against him while a part of her face peeked out from behind him.

“Leave Aurora out of this, mother!”

A flash of approval hushed across Alexandria’s face, but then her eyes turned golden and although his instincts caused him to weave an anti-magic sigil with impressive swiftness, he was pushed into the ground once more – so hard this time that he nearly lost consciousness while further dropping Aurora’s aspect.

“You will address me properly, Arakiel.” The Lady Alexandrite stated matter-of-factly. “I have forgiven your first slight – I shall not do so again.”

“Honored mother, I beg of thee!” Mellia spoke up at last, sounding somewhat pleading. “Why must thou treat him so? He did well, did he not!?”

A sigh could be heard as Arakiel once again scrambled to his knees, except that his entire body was shaking this time around. That sudden force – it defied everything. How did she do this? She wasn’t even lifting a finger!

“I asked you a question, aurea. Answer.”

“I dare not presume to know, honored Lady Alexandrite!” Aurora replied in a slightly terrified tone, one that made Arakiel furious – furious enough to scramble to his feet despite his body’s protest. He spoke up right away as a means to stop her from harassing Aurora.

“I answered your question, honored mother! Now tell me – have I met your expectations or not!?” Arakiel demanded to know, once again positioning himself between her and Aurora.

The leader of House Alexandrite got up with a sigh, slightly shaking her head. Then, she motioned for Mellia to walk over towards Arakiel, right after which she spoke up in an authoritative tone. “Very well. I shall speak plainly, Arakiel, Mellia.”

He held his breath. The next words would decide his fate here and right now, he wasn’t really sure which direction the pendulum might swing.

“You have succeeded in the task I gave you, Arakiel – as I have stated. However, your methods are not only questionable, but unsustainable. As such, I cannot in good conscience be proud of you, especially since you fail to realize the central lesson I am trying to guide you towards, even though I more or less spelled it out at this point.”

“I am alone – you said as much.” Arakiel hastened to point out, to recall and state.

“Correct,” the Lady Alexandrite affirmed. “No matter how powerful you are, you will perish. This other man, Ezekiel – where is he? He was also part of your little group, was he not?”

He should’ve been surprised that she knew of Ezekiel, but he really wasn’t. His mother wasn’t just anyone, after all.

“He left with the seelie,” Arakiel admitted, unsure whether he should say that Ezekiel promised to return later on. That part might be best kept secret for now. Until he was certain that he could thoroughly depend on his House and family, he could not disclose the fact that Nyanna was basically tracking him because in light of this, he was still colluding with an immortal – as much as it pained to admit.

“What are your plans?” His mother queried and his response came in an instant.

“That depends entirely on whether I am still considered a criminal or not.”

A smile hushed across her lips. “Ah, yes – that issue. You are wanted still, but none will be able to harm you as long as you stay in the Alexandrite Keep.” His mother stated matter-of-factly. Her lips curled ever so slightly.

A dash of hope burgeoned in Arakiel. “Does that mean you will shield me?”

The answer to this crucial question returned right away. “Yes – your family will not abandon you. You did, after all, fulfill your obligation.”

“Congratulations, Arakiel!” Mellia exclaimed while taking one of his sweaty hands, shaking it lightly. There seemed a genuine sense of relief written across her face and Arakiel didn’t quite know how to feel about it besides just being… glad, relieved.

Some of the tension that had burrowed into his body and mind eased up right away and from behind, Aurora hugged him while whispering words of relief.

“Follow me,” the Lady Alexandrite ordered. “Let us speak of your future.”

With those words, the doors behind him flung open.