Rieren and the others joined Mercion and the retainer in pulling out the captives from the dungeon, dead or otherwise. Some of them had survived the possession the Stifler had been trying to inflict upon them somehow. So, Mercion and the others who had come to rescue them from the settlement were busy trying to revive and heal them up.

As Rieren left, she obtained a rather strange achievement.

New Achievement!

First reunion orchestrated! You have returned to the barest vision of your roots. Just one small step towards reclaiming your true origin.

Rewards

* 1 Level

* 1 Skill point

* 1 Credit

* 1 Small Resource Cache

Rieren was tempted to open and peer within the little box that appeared on her hand, but she decided to do so later. It was likely more pills and the kind. Not exactly an extravagant reward, but every little bit helped. Though, she’d prefer another skill any day now.

Mercion’s group getting busy granted Rieren and her fellow Lionshard disciples the opportunity they needed to finally catch up. Well, Rieren was arguably no longer a disciple.

Especially going by the looks she was receiving from Silk.

“Can you please stop doing that, Silk?” Amalyse asked, clearly exasperated. “It’s unseemly.”

“I am doing nothing,” Silk said.

She was starting at Rieren with an expression that was on the verge of breaking into a growl. Or worse. Her brow was furrowed in a heavy frown, her eyes flashed with anger, and the downturn of her lips made it look like she had been forced to swallow something vastly unpleasant. Compared to regular, equanimous Silk they all knew, this was quite different.

“You look like you want to eat Rieren for dinner,” Amalyse said.

Silk’s expression faltered into one of confusion. “What? No!” She pointed at her face expressively. “Can’t you see that I’m angry?”

“You mean you…” Amalyse blinked. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

Silk shook her head, her own exasperation catching up with her. “Alright, fine. I admit, my feelings are currently rather sour. I don’t see our former fellow disciple in a particularly favourable light at the moment.”

“I understand,” Rieren said. She might have felt a little angry in Silk’s shoes as well. After all, she had more or less abandoned the Sect, even if it had been for good intentions. “I do not blame you for holding a grudge.”

“I do not hold grudges, thank you very much. My anger is borne more from disappointment than anything else.” Silk took a deep breath and sighed. She rubbed a hand over face, and then her expression had turned neutral once more. Back to perfect, implacable Silk. As though she had just wiped away her anger. “Be that as it may, I will let you converse.”

She stepped away to one side, walking closer to where Rollo was seated near the lake’s bank. Just before she left, Rieren thought she caught relief washing over Silk’s face. So strange.

Once they had exited the dungeon, they had all decided to rest up at the shore, letting the chill breeze and gentle lap of water soothe them after the cramped and monstrous conditions of the dungeon. Looking at the placid surface of the lake, one could never guess there were dark, hidden depths far beneath it.

“Not exactly the kind of reunion I was picturing,” Amalyse said.

Rieren laughed. Ironic, considering the achievement she had received. One of them was obviously angry with her, and one of the other one couldn’t even care. Only Amalyse here was actually happy to see Rieren again.

And for that, she was very, very grateful.

Rieren reached out to her friend and pulled her into an embrace. Amalyse was surprised for a second, but then she wrapped Rieren in her own larger arms and held her tightly.

“I missed you,” Amalyse said. “But I’m sure you didn’t miss me.”

Rieren pulled herself back with some difficulty. “Perhaps, but I am glad to see you, nevertheless. That counts, yes?”

Amalyse punched her shoulder. “Sure. Now, tell me everything that’s been going on.”

There was a slight urgency in her voice and a part of her look was directed over Rieren’s shoulder. Of course. She wanted their conversation done with before Mercion and the others could interrupt. Then they’d have to be careful about what they said.

Rieren took a deep breath and told Amalyse everything that had occurred. She didn’t hide any of it. The meeting with Kerolast and Mercion, rescuing Elder Olg, her fight with the Ascendant, then cultivating through the Enlightened Realm before meeting Silomene and being “hired” by Mercion. She held back nothing.

They were close enough that Rollo and Silk could make everything out pretty easily, but Rieren didn’t care. She had shed her need to maintain secrecy.

Well, mostly. Rieren couldn’t go about sharing others’ secrets, now could she? That was why she didn’t bother mentioning what Elder Olg’s intentions were, though she did say that he would find his way to the Sect eventually.

“What about you?” Rieren asked. “How are things at the Sect? How is… how is my father?”

Amalyse pressed her lips together. “He is doing well. I think the Sect Leader hired him as a proper cook. Some of the others sadly died.”

“Ah, tragic. Well, good for father, I suppose.”

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“Mm, his cooking is excellent.”

Amalyse went on to mention how they were recovering well at the Sect. Over the nearly two months since Rieren had left, the Sect had managed to construct several of the older buildings in the dungeon’s main chamber. Though, most people still hadn’t acclimated yet to how close together everything was, and how all the buildings still looked artificial.

“It’s very much not ready to entertain visitors,” Amalyse said. “That’s for certain.”

Rieren could imagine it clearly. Two months really wasn’t enough time to rebuild the Sect in its entirety. Especially not in a way that would be aesthetically pleasing.

Before its destruction, the Sect had been masterfully laid out over the higher area of Lionshard mountain’s slopes. Different buildings were on different levels according to their importance, and the whole Sect was adorned with lush greenery and trees.

Fountains were interspersed so that they were never too far from each other. Little ponds and lakes dotted it all over, providing a calming, natural aura.

It had been quite pretty. Something Rieren only actualized now that she hadn’t been there for some time. Something she would never get to experience again, thanks to the gods and their Banishedborn. Hindsight really did see the farthest.

“I am glad everyone is recovering well,” Rieren said. “Though, since there has been no mention of Serace, I assume his situation has not improved much.”

Amalyse looked away. “Right. We couldn’t help him, unfortunately. Even the Sect Leader, who seems to know a lot more than he did before, has no clue how to fix his state. But we do speak to him regularly through the Nerve Rods like you showed us.”

“That is good. I am glad he still has company. And what about you, Amalyse?”

“Me?”

Rieren stared at her. “Yes, you. How many other Amalyses do we know?”

“What about me?”

“I have caught it, you know. The reason all three of you are here.”

“Uh…”

“Oh, save it, Amalyse,” Silk said. “Why are you afraid of revealing the truth?”

Rieren watched as the other girl came back over to them to join the conversation directly. There was a ferocity to her that she hadn’t had before. Or rather, hadn’t needed to display as much. Now, however, it looked like she didn’t wish to let go of it so easily.

“Our clans made us leave the Sect,” Silk said. “For multiple reasons. We are still officially disciples of Lionshard Sect, but things are… complicated.”

Rieren nodded, looking between Silk and Amalyse. “Yes, that was what I imiagined.”

As Silk had said, the reasons that scions of powerful clans had left the Sect were multifaceted. Though, now that she mentioned it, Rieren didn’t know which clan Silk came from.

“I imagine you are not about to gloriously reveal that you are secretly the bastard heir-apparent to some Archnoble on death’s door,” Rieren said, injecting a note of humorous hope in her voice.

Silk was not amused. “My heritage is my own business and no one else’s.”

“Really?” Rollo stared at them. “You just told Amalyse to shed the secrecy. She’s from the Arraihos. They might not be an Archnoble clan, but they’re old, wealthy, and have powerful connections. Meanwhile, my Karlosyne clan is one of the Archnobles, and we are arguably the strongest of them all. Lot of good that’s done. But you Silk… what in the world even are you?”

Rollo’s claim that the Karlosyne were the most powerful Archnoble clan had some merit to it, though it was debatable. Essalina would certainly have contested the claim.

Rieren and Amalyse stared at Silk too. As far as Rieren knew, no one but the Sect Leader and perhaps some of the Elders knew Silk’s real identity. Rieren had some guesses about it, especially because of the need for such secrecy, but she had no clue how true any of them were.

“You do not have to tell us if you do not wish to,” Rieren said. “It would not be fair. No one has demanded me to reveal all that I know about the past.”

“And I think that is a stupid decision,” Silk muttered.

“Oh, do you mean that we should grill you about all that you might be hiding?”

Silk sighed. “I am from the Forborne clan.”

They all stared. That had been one of Rieren’s suspicions, though she hadn’t put in a great deal of merit to it. After all, to think that Silk was a member of the imperial clan, potentially an imperial heir, was… staggering. And now, it had turned to be true. They were standing in the presence of royalty.

Silk was a princess of the Elderlands.

“Are we supposed to call you Your Highness, then?” Amalyse asked. “Forgive me, I’m not certain about the proper term of address for a runaway princess.”

“I am not a runaway.” Silk glared at Amalyse, then at Rieren and Rollo too. “And none of you had better breathe a single word of this conversation outside of this location.”

Rieren shook her head, trying to get over her surprise. “I do not understand. What is an heir of the Forborne Emperor doing here? I wasn’t even aware the Forborne Emperor had children.”

It was well known throughout the Elderlands that the Emperor was rather young. A prodigious child of the former Emperor who had risen through the ranks at a breakneck speed, reaching the Fated realm well before his first century of life. His father had passed away trying to reach the same stage, which had led him to take the throne before intended.

Not that he had done a bad job of it. The current Forborne Emperor had overseen an era of greater cooperation and general prosperity for the Elderlands, all while reaching greater heights of power himself.

Silk took a deep breath. “It is a long story.”

“We’re listening,” Rollo assured.

“Fine. Listen, then. Yes, I am a bastard of the current Emperor. If he had true heirs, it would have been great news that echoed throughout the entire empire. It is one of his more contentious points that he refuses to sire one.” Silk’s mouth twisted. “Legitimately, at least.”

The Forborne Emperor Rieren had known hadn’t been the kind of man who was lascivious enough to have a houseful of bastard children. Even more, Rieren hadn’t known about any bastards in her last timeline. Silk had been there, but she had disappeared around the time the Sect had fallen and Rieren’s journey began. They hadn’t interacted or met since.

Now, she wondered if Silk had been hiding then. Waiting, until the time came for the imperial court to prop up an heir after the Forborne Emperor’s death.

“Did he send you away to hide?” Rieren asked.

Silk shook her head. “I am not sure if the Emperor even knows of my existence. Tragic, I know. But I have only ever known him from afar. He is no more a father to me than any of you.”

Rieren wondered what that might have been like. Forever barred from knowing one’s own flesh-and-blood parent, forever prevented from having an actual relationship with family.

Atelen would have gone insane had such a situation arisen between him and his daughter. For Rieren herself, well, she wouldn’t have wished to inflict the kind of emotional pain it would have naturally brought upon her father. That was simply cruel.

“So they sent you away,” Rollo said. He had a thoughtful look on his face. “The ones at the court who know your lineage and have been raising you. They’re keeping you hidden until the time comes where you can make an actual mark at the imperial court.”

“A trump card,” Amalyse said.

Silk closed her eyes. She didn’t speak for a while. When she finally opened them again, the anger that had come out had now annealed to something closer to fierce resignation. “I am slowly being recalled to the court. Once my Enlightenments are done here, I will return. Easiest way to get through the Exalted realm is by making myself known at court, after all.”

That was true. The Exalted realm depended on one making a name for themselves, and after a certain level of renown, one broke through it to reach the Ascendant realm.

“So please,” Silk said, looking at them all in turn. “Please keep it to yourselves.”

“Why tell us?” Amalyse asked. “I guessed you had some sort of secret, but this…” She shook her head. “You could be in serious danger! I’m really hoping you haven’t told anyone else.”

This time, Silk regained her anger. She whirled around, eyes flashing as she sized up Amalyse as though she was considering pitching the bigger girl right into the lake. “I know very well what I am doing. You think I haven’t been living my entire life learning who and when to trust? For your information, I am the only one here who isn’t a selfish—who has an actual sense of duty.”

And with that, Silk was all done speaking to them. She stomped off. The heir of the Elderlands had elsewhere to be.