"Arkryk?" Aurelius stuttered out. Oh, no. No, no, no. Just when things were going well. He looked back and forth between the piece of paper in Solomon's hands and the large messenger bird. "What is that?"

"News," Solomon answered. "There's—"

"News from who?" Aurelius interrupted quickly. "Who's sending you news? I thought nobody even knew... that you're here." Aurelius realized something that should've been obvious. "You're in contact with him! With Kendrick."

"I'm not," Solomon denied exasperatedly. "You think he had time to send me news?"

"His people!"

"Rey, calm down. It's good news," Cade said, reaching out to him.

Aurelius backed up, furrowing his brows at Cade. "He's in league with the enemy. How can we trust him? Kendrick could know that we're here."

"Pipe down, Aurelius," Solomon said, walking up to Aurelius and handing him the paper. "You knew I made a deal with Kendrick. Part of that deal was to be updated on current events. His information networks have not failed me yet." Aurelius took the paper hesitantly. "Now read."

Aurelius looked down slowly. 'Good news?' he thought.

Ever since he left Arkryk, he'd been haunted by visions of chaos. Chaos of his doing. Orpheus' corpse nailed to a cross as the world burned. His eyes moved with strain to read the common words on the paper, unwilling to witness the consequences of his actions.

Then he read, "The state of Arkryk: The king is dead. The rebellion ballooned in size after the death of Orpheus, Supreme of Nexus, but until recently, it was just a large army with no real qualifications or leader. That changed with the rise of an individual known by the name Bird of Midnight. Rumored to resemble the Conqueror of the West, this individual shaped the rebellion into a concentrated force. Telling tales of the liveD, he took the chaotic capital into his control and raided the King's Palace. The fate of the royal family is unsure, but the king was executed in a public square by Bird of Midnight himself."

Aurelius looked up from the paper and blinked at Cade and Solomon. Cade looked at him with a difficult expression, and Aurelius realized she didn't know. Before he could explain, he got to reading the rest of the paper.

"Cause-and-effect: The liveD remains a powerful symbol for the people of Arkryk. Orpheus' death and the conditions surrounding it—its location in the halls of a palace, a hundred elite guards dead with no casualties from the opposing side, and the nailing of Orpheus—have painted the liveD as a mythical figure. He is also rumored to have killed another feared legend of the underworld, Uzbec, but many dispute that claim. The Bird of Midnight has detailed the actions of the liveD, but it remains a mystery whether the liveD had any accomplices (current information suggests that the liveD is the son of Ares and worked alone). The Bird of Midnight seems to have worked as an informant in the underworld before, so it is possible he either worked for the liveD or is using connections and information to hijack power for himself in tumultuous times."

Aurelius crumpled the sides of the paper, staring intensely at every word.

"Political status: Arkryk seems to be leaning toward democracy, but it remains too uncertain to be clearly interpreted. Threats of oligarchy plague especially the capital, and so far Bird of Midnight has taken advantage of all his wealthy supporters. It remains to be seen where he chooses to steer Arkryk or even if he maintains his power. As with all rebellions, they provoke new rebellions, and splintering to smaller independent nations is also a possibility."

Aurelius chuckled a little, his eyes so wide it probably seemed more like troubled breathing than amusement.

"Premonitions: Though the king's demise has sparked a new wave of chaos, the Bird of Midnight has already set the establishment of a new government into process. Arkryk seems to be on a positive trajectory and recovering from the chaos of Nexus' fall well. The underworld of Arkryk has not seen the rise of any prominent figures, unlike with Franz in Mircrest. While cults and polarization are on the rise and mass vigilantism has led to a string of homicides and executions, the nation has been united under the banner of justice. Lundkirk's attitude towards Arkryk is bettering, and a peaceful conquering is seen as a possibility."

Blood rushed to his head, and black spots appeared in his sight. Aurelius' stumbled back. The paper fell. He took support from a table but put too much weight on it so that it dragged from underneath him and he collapsed onto the floor.

Cade came to his aid, but he waved her off. Holding his head, he wondered how much of it was real. "Is it true?" he asked Solomon.

"It's true." Solomon nodded. "As true as any news."

Aurelius remembered Damian's words. '...There is a possibility for reform; it must be grasped. I'll follow your legacy.'

Laughter spewed from his teeth. "You did it, Damian. You did it!" Aurelius jumped up and wrapped Cade in a tight hug, flinging her around. She was too shocked to respond in any way. After setting her down, he kissed her on the forehead and got a blush out of her. Then he went to hug Solomon, who tried to keep him at arm's distance. Aurelius got through and kept thanking him.

For a while he knew nothing but bliss, prancing around without care. Then came a sudden drop, and Aurelius felt all the power drain from his body. He took hold of the wall, sliding down along it to sit down before wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Did you know him?" Cade asked, crouching at his side. "That Bird of Midnight?"

Aurelius nodded. His eyes were turning red. "His name is Damian. He helped me there. I wasn't alone."

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Her eyes were red as well. "Then that's good, right? That he's in power."

Aurelius wiped his running nose before covering his face completely. "I can't believe it. I can't—" A sob broke from him.

Cade hugged her like a tidal wave of warmth. "You've done your best. And it wasn't all for nothing."

He relaxed in her embrace and felt a weight lifted from his being. A sudden drowsiness overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep in her arms. For the first time in half a year, he saw a dream. Not a nightmare but a wonderful little story. Children playing on a grassy plain by a windmill that kept turning peacefully forever forth. And nothing could hurry or halt its sails.

***

It was night when Aurelius woke up. He rubbed his eyes and stumbled out of bed. There was some murmuring downstairs. He opened the door only to bump into Cade.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

"Woke up just now," Aurelius said, looking at the spiral staircase. There was blue light coming from there, but he could tell it wasn't from Essence. It was a darker shade of blue. "What's going on?"

"Solomon's showing off," Cade giggled, her cheeks a little red like she'd been drinking. Something strong, knowing her. "That's what I came to get you for." She took him by the hand. "Come on, you've got to see this." Then she led him upstairs. To the forbidden fifth floor.

The whole floor was riddled with collections of whatever one could think of. From large and detailed miniatures to shiny and sharp minerals. All in what seemed like chaos, but Aurelius was cautious of touching anything because Solomon would notice somehow.

What really caught his sight, though, were the candles riddled across the tables and towers of books, all burning lively with large dark blue flames. Solomon sat on a table with his legs crossed and hands outstreched.

"What is this?" Aurelius whispered to Cade.

"I have no idea," she answered with a smile.

"Then what's so forbidden about it?"

Before Cade could answer, Solomon burped loudly. "It's where I keep the good stuff."

"He means alcohol!" Cade clarified with a whisper.

"Thanks." Aurelius patted her on the head. "I got it."

"The good stuff," Solomon said and put his hands down to reach for a metal bottle. At that moment the flames flickered out before beginning to burn normally with little orange flames.

"How'd you do that?" Aurelius asked, gesturing at the candles.

"Essence," Solomon burped, hopping to his feet.

Aurelius rolled his eyes, but the child in him was fascinated, like he was seeing essence for the first time.

Solomon made his way to Aurelius and threw an arm around his neck, shoving the bottle in his hand. "Strongest stuff out there," he said.

"Does it need to be the strongest?"

"Of course! Only the strongest for the strongest, eh, Reign Ender?" He asked, hitting Aurelius hard on the chest. "I'll tell you, when I was your age, I couldn't get drunk for the life of me. For the life of me!"

'How much do you have to drink to come up with Reign Ender?' Aurelius thought.

"Then I found this," Solomon said, praising the bottle. "It is the essence of me, I tell you."

"Your piss?" Aurelius asked, cautiously smelling the bottle's contents. It was strong but odorless.

"As bright as it is," Solomon laughed.

"You drink this?" Aurelius turned to ask Cade.

She nodded with a wide smile. "The good stuff."

"Right then," Aurelius said and went for it. Bottom up.

"Moderation, young man, moderation."

Aurelius drank a mouthful and burst into a fit of coughs. "What the—" he asked in between coughs. Damn, it burned his insides. He laughed. Solomon ripped the bottle from him. Then they laughed. Life was wonderful...

Solomon demonstrated the trick again, making the candles burn blue. "It's all about breathing life into it," Solomon said. "That's how the thaumaturges did it."

Aurelius observed closely and from every angle until it felt like his eyes were melting. Then Solomon showed off some southern drums. He played terribly, but Aurelius and Cade nodded to the beats, eyeing each other when Solomon wasn't looking. Then Cade whistled a tune, and Aurelius was made to sing. He was terrible, so they suggested he dance, but he tripped over something on the floor.

It was a damn sword. Solomon got distracted telling them all about Solomonian warrior culture. Then he showed a portrait of a serious-looking military man in a uniform embroidered with insignia. He had slick, dark hair and a mustache so large it took up a third of his face. "That's me right there," Solomon said proudly with a wink. "Young and ready for fun."

Aurelius and Cade burst out laughing so hard they almost choked. Aurelius ended up on the floor clutching his stomach. When he recovered, he asked about another portrait in which young Solomon was in a red cloak.

Solomon got sullen suddenly and started talking about his childhood instead. "I was an awfully ugly child. Horrible looking, really. Then my parents discovered my talent and sent me away to a military school. From there I was transferred into an even better one. There, all the children were from affluent backgrounds. Terribly lonely time. Terribly. Yes, it was... Then I was older and accomplished, but not many recognized me. I got my parents a fine new house but didn't talk to them much. They chose to send me to the damn academy but acted like the victims when I got back. Even they didn't recognize me."

He prattled on about some superiors of his whom he hated. "But then I won us my first war, and suddenly I was the talk of the whole nation. That's when I got the honorable name of Solomon."

"Solomon isn't your real name?" Cade asked.

Aurelius had, of course, already known that from his research but hadn't seen a reason to mention it.

"No. Nobody but the supermajority could award the name to a citizen."

"What's your real name then?" Cade asked, sitting closer.

Solomon shrugged. "I forgot."

Cade scoffed at the obvious lie but let it go.

"In any case, I became a woman's man, of course. That's when I grew the mustache." Solomon stroked his clean-shaven face, eyes somewhere far away. "Oh, the women loved it."

"Did they?" Cade asked, laughing. Aurelius chuckled at that.

Solomon frowned. "Careful now, my disciples." Then he scratched his head. "Oh, but where was I? Ah, right, the cloak. Actually, before that. When this portrait was made," Solomon said, showing the portrait from before with him in his uniform, "I was in a deep depression. For years, something gnawed at me. Then I went into a long period of isolation and found the true nature of essence as well as developed the early stages of my 'mythical technique,' as some call it."

"And the cloak?" Aurelius reminded.

"Right, right. The cloak, yes. It was awarded to me by the nation for carrying on the teachings of the thaumaturges. The red symbolizes the blood that pumps in us, and the golden markings symbolize the paths of enlightenment."

"Huh." Aurelius could've sworn there was something deeper to it when he'd seen the beautiful cloak in the treasury.

Then he yawned and noticed Cade leaning on his arm, sleepy-eyed. It was late into the night, and she'd mellowed out.

Solomon noticed and nodded. "It seems you two better get sleeping."

"Yeah," Aurelius said, lifting Cade into his arms. "Thanks for the night."

He carried her downstairs with steps that were a little too wobbly for comfort but made it safe to her room and laid her on the bed. But she woke right as he was about to cover her up.

"Wait," she put a hand up to stop him. "Rey, we should talk."

"Sure. We'll talk tomorrow."

"No. I want to talk now," she said, talking clearly.

Aurelius laid the blanket down. "Alright, what about?" he asked, sitting down on the bed.

She turned to him, suddenly so close. Then, without warning, it just happened. Her lips to his. Their first kiss.