The Queen stares daggers into me, as we sit atop the castle’s primary tower, Celestibelle sits next to me, and leaning against one of the pillars is none other than Demistar herself… It turns out Demitallis gets this massive open space all to herself. “This is Sirius Maelstrom Bask, he is the one who has been assaulting your kingdom for, uh-” Demitallis says through telepathy, waiting for me to answer how long I’ve been carrying out my mission. “Two years, I’ve been hard at work takin’ back Ryleth. Ryleth was my Father’s, and is now MY birthright, and I WILL be takin’ it back.” I say, annoying the Royal Guards that are accompanying the Queen. One of them attempts to stand up, but Demistar appears next to them, stopping them in their tracks. “Hey, stay calm, I won’t let him do anything stupid.” She says.. I can still hardly believe they ACTUALLY have connections to a world power…

“Thank you Demistar, I can’t imagine trying to keep them under control without you… Anyways, Princess Stallatia has been captured by an unforeseen force. Now, if Sirius were to save the Princess… Wouldn’t that make him a bit of a Hero? He’s still young and hasn't been a criminal for long, so I was hoping you could expunge his past crimes. Sirius will rescue the Princess, and in return, will no longer be considered a criminal within Ryleth’s borders.” Demi says… She can’t be serious… Everyone just stares at her, as she sits in her bowl, stunned silent.. The queen just thinks to herself, and looks to the chief of police. He starts rubbing his Chin, also thinking to himself.

He looks at the queen, and nods... Wait, seriously?! Even the queen is in disbelief! “Really? We can actually do that?” The chief of police pulls out a folder of what I’m assuming is my past offenses, and the Queen looks at it. “Demi’s right, you’re too young to be convicted, and even still.. There’s no official records of anything serious…” She says, looking through the document. Demitallis and Demistar both perked up at the word Demi, but of course didn’t interrupt. “Still though.. How about his little organization, Demitallis? All of them have extremely dangerous backgrounds.. Even if he does save my daughter, I can’t just force the police to forgive them for everything they’ve done too.” She says, looking up from the document. “I wasn’t able to figure that one out-” Demitallis says, but I quickly interrupt her- “No, it’s alright. They’ll accept their fates as criminals ‘a long time ago. Once I take back Ryleth as its rightful ruler, they will be convicted and punished accordingly for their crimes… I could only promise’em that their rulings’ll be as easy on’em as possible.” It’s horrible, but it’s the law. We weren’t going to abolish the law for our own benefit… They’re here for me, I have to take back Ryleth….

Realization washes over everyone’s faces, as they begin to understand that we’re not evil.. “Alright then… But still, Demistar is here. Why don’t we ask HER to find the Princess? I bet you already know where my Daughter is right now.” The queen says, as Demistar approaches with a smirk. “I’d love to, but this one isn’t for me. As for WHERE she is.. You’re right, I do know. But I’m only here to keep you guys from fighting, it’s not my place to get in between conflicts. Besides, I’m sure you can deal with it.” She says, leaning against the table, staring directly at the Queen. “Yeah, I figured… I guess I have no choice but to make this deal. The Guards couldn’t even protect my daughter, so you two really are my only option...” She says, folding her arms and looking at Demitallis and I. “Yep. Sorry that the walking superweapon isn’t an option.” She simply nods, and looks away, resting her cheek in her hand, and her elbows on the table.. “Still… Why DO you think you're the rightful ruler anyways? Do you even have any proof?” The queen asks me, rather offensively…

“What proof do you have that he ISN’T the rightful ruler?” Demitallis asks, before I can say anything. The queen just looks at her, about to say something on impulse, but stops herself- “Well… My grandparents took over during a rebellion by the people, after the previous rulers were deemed unfit to guide Ryleth. They were of course soon after officialized by the low council of Ryleth after proving themselves to them, and the high priest.” The queen says, recalling what she must have been taught, about what must have happened to my grandparents. “It was The High Priest who crowned my grandfather, then my mother after him, and then me.” She quickly adds that in the end, revealing to me just how beloved by the kingdom they really are..

“The people YER’ parents abdicated from the throne, were MY grandparents. So yeah, I’m the rightful ruler of Ryleth.” I say, as the guards continually grow more annoyed. “I don’t know... It’s been so long since they died. Are you sure they were even the same species as you? Do you even have PROOF of these claims?” She asks, surprising me.. She’s right, my dad never provided any real evidence, he simply said it was so… I sit here and contemplate it for a moment, until Demistar speaks up. “Well now, if there IS evidence, then it’ll be found within the castle somewhere. Correct?” She says, looking at the queen. “Well, even if there IS evidence, they were abdicated. Alright? Your claim to the throne is no greater than my daughter’s.” She says, starting to sound tired of all of this. “Listen, it’s not my place to elect new rulers. The best you could do is vie for a position in the low council of Ryleth, and elect the next ruler after my daughter. I guess we still have to give you associative immunity once we’ve confirmed you ARE associated with a previous ruling family.” She says, thinking I’ll give up so easily. Before I can say something though, Demistar speaks up- “Associative immunity? Is that something to do with your Religion? Shouldn’t his family already have that?” She says, looking at the queen again. “The children of the aforementioned family never accepted it. Nobody’s really sure why though.” Wait what?!

I stand up and slam my hands on the table- “Are ya’ kiddin’ me?! I’d love ta’ accept it!” I shout, making the guards and Demistar stand up to stop any conflicts- “Dude, come on-” Celest says, causing me to look over at her. She pulls me back into my chair. “I apologize, I got a little overexcited…” I say, as everyone else sits back down. “Accepted… Anyways, as I said, we’ll have to confirm this, which I’m not even sure we could do, since none of them are even alive to match your DNA with.” She says, relaxing herself from the sudden shock. “How about the Royal Crypt? Dart told me that place was one of the oldest buildings in Ryleth. He said it uses DNA to confirm stuff like this. Wouldn’t it have DNA of his Family?” Demitallis says, saving the whole conversation. “It probably would actually. Alright, we know what to do, I guess..” She says, looking down at the table, thinking to herself..

“Is something wrong your highness?” One of her personal attendants asks her, a little concerned. “The fight between my family and Sirius’s has been going on for hundreds, maybe thousands of years… It’s just, I didn’t think I’d be around to see the end of it.” She says, folding her arms. “What if it turns out that he’s not in fact related?” Demitallis asks, causing everyone to look at her again. “I guess YOU can keep him?” The Queen says, while shrugging. “The hell is that supposed ta’ mean?” I ask, a little offended by this!... “Neat! He’ll be like another member of our Family!” Demitallis says, quickly agreeing with the queen’s decision anyways. “Do I not get’a say in this?!” I stand up and shout, as everyone begins to stand up with me. “Well, I think we’re done here, everyone. It’s been nice Demitallis, we should do this again sometime.” The queen says, as she waves at Demitallis’s little bowl… “It’s my honor, your majesty.” Demitallis says, as she waves a mass of water back. Demistar reaches over and picks her up, as Celest grabs my arm. “Come on, let’s go hang out, Sirius! You DO remember your promise.. Don’t you?” She says, leaning closer, looking me straight in the eyes.. Demitallis and Demistar stare at us- “Should we leave?” Demistar says, looking over the edge of the tower. “No, it’s MY Room, THEY should leave.”

“Oh my god, it’s not what’cha’ think!” I say, as I grab Celest’s hand and run off the side of the tower with her. “Bye Demis!” She says, waving at them as her heels slide against the floor. They simply wave back as I jump off the edge and descend. “How silly.” She says, as she maneuvers herself in air-

We land on the ground, and I catch Celest in my arms. I stand up and set her on her feet again. “Thanks Sirius.” She says, as all of her siblings stare at us, then leisurely greet her with simple hand waves, or light hellos. “Let’s head to my place already.” She says, taking my hand this time, and guiding me back to her home.

As we make our way down the sidewalks, everyone just stares at us and snickers. They ask if I’m her “Boyfriend” and if we’re on a “Date” She just waves them off, and leisurely talks to them whenever some of them would follow for mere moments at a time, usually joking around with them until they are gone.

We finally arrive at Celest’s House. I’ve already been here yesterday, but I guess I’ll describe what it looks like in here now. There’s a TV, two couches, and a recliner facing it at a distance of five feet. Next to and in front of them are coffee tables. The TV itself is quite large, with two shelves next to it that hold the speakers and microset gaming consoles. Microset gaming consoles are simple video-game consoles that are built to run themselves, which can be connected of course to the screen. They’re quite old. Celest has always had an eye for the classics. On the wall looking at the entrance door is more tables and bookshelves, holding flowers in jars, and other such nicknacks. The wall itself is covered in replicas of ancient necklaces, headdresses, and other such marvels, but they are overshadowed by the more modern beautifully decorated masks. Primarily fox and kitsune masks, but other such animals and mythical creatures are easily found within the menagerie of anonymity. On the wall facing the TV is a simple window, and there’s another window on the wall with the front door, both covered by curtains. Celest likes to keep her privacy.

“So, what should we do first?” Celest says, looking at me… Celest and I have been dating for about a year now, we met about 8 years ago when we were much younger, none of her siblings have started dating, so she’s been keeping it secret. When we first met, we had randomly happened to look into each other’s eyes, once we had learned everything about each other, we instantly became best friends and talked for hours. Well, I still kept my affiliation with my dad’s crime family a secret from her, thankfully the affect only works on their current self. It won’t tell you anything about their past or future. Knowing everything about them and what they’re thinking is still useful though.

“Man you think too much, let’s watch a Movie.”

-√A-

“So are they…” Demistar says, looking over the edge of my tower.

Demi - “Honestly? I dunno’. She really likes him, they hang out all the time, more than you would think JUST FRIENDS would.”

She tilts her head a little, staring at me as she holds me in my metal bowl. “Yeah, I guess it would be rude to pry. Anyways.. It’s so weird that you can shrink to such a tiny form, and you’re still the most powerful member of your family. It’s also pretty interesting to see how quickly a puddle kid can really grow in strength. It only took you a few months, and you’re already more powerful than most soldiers. With some sort of actual training, you might actually be able to really rival Arigold in power some day. Still though, he’s been growing in strength for thousands of years, he’s older than even me…” She finishes, still looking at me, patiently waiting for my response… Since she can process information so quickly, she doesn’t ever really NEED a moment to think..

Demi - “Is he really that old? How powerful IS he?”

She places me on a smaller table that has formed from the floor, and decides to sit down. “Yeah, nobody’s really sure how old he is, he’s never said. His Father’s been ruling the kingdom for a long time too, actually. They’re probably getting help from Serif…” She says, mentioning another person I’ve never heard of…

Demi - “Who’s Serif?”

A hint of surprise almost washes over her, but she processes it too fast to convey any form of surprise. “Oh, Serif is a world power, he governs the element of Life. Aren’t you guys headed there? You’re just making some stops at different cities on the way there, if I’m correct.” She says, recounting our past conversations about what me and my family had planned.

Demi - “Yeah, I was hoping I could build up some real combat experience every place I visited. I figured that I’d be done here, after I’d finished beating up Sirius. But now that the Princess has been captured.. Well, I just hope the new guy isn’t as strong as Sirius…”

Demistar just laughs at me for a moment, then folds her arms. “What, do you think you’re going to have to beat up EVERYONE who gets in your way?” She says, looking at me with a slightly curious gaze.

Demi - “Of course I don’t. I’m just hoping that I won’t have to deal with another person I can’t defeat. Besides, I’ve been honing my combat abilities since I was born, I’d like to test them out.”

“Yeah, alright. Well, I guess I should mention that Helvetica is the World Power that governs Doom, she’s a good friend of mine. I actually decided to give her a visit the other day, it was really nice.” Demistar says, as she looks away into the distance.

Demi - “Man, I’m glad you’re MY friend then. Maybe you can put in a good word for me and my family when we meet her. Maybe even Serif too.”

Demistar’s eyes widen with realization. “Oh crap you’re gonna’ have to meet Serif… Listen, it’d probably be best that you avoid him. Serif’s friends with Arigold, and he’s a little much…” Demistar once more lights up in realization, and looks away. “Crap, I’m needed at Neotopia again-” She says, as she looks in the supposed direction of Neotopia, until she turns around to look at me again. “Listen Demitallis, I’d love to answer all of your questions, but this one’s really urgent. I just don’t have any time, see ya’.” And with that, she turns around again, and begins to glow brightly. She dashes forward, and- She’s gone, nothing but a bright streak of light is left. I’ve never seen someone move so fast before…

-√C-

He strikes me with his fist, and hits me with a bolt of lightning. The pain courses through me wonderfully, and I grab him. I lift Lex over my head and try to slam him against the floor- He kicks his legs upwards and launches himself away from me by bouncing off of my head with his hands. “I was really surprised when you asked for combat training Lex, I didn’t think you were actually serious.” I say, as he takes his stance. “Of course I was serious-” He says as static ripples across his body. He moves slowly, and~ Pounces! But I’ve already moved out of the way- I strike him in the side, sending him in that direction. “You’re too predictable Lex, your inherited abilities are very powerful, but you’ve got no control.” I say, as he appears in front of me again- I let him strike me in the stomach, defensive magic already prepared. I grab his arm again and strike him in the face with a right hook.

“A real warrior wouldn’t go easy on you Lex! They’ll take every advantage they can get!” I say as I dash towards him, and almost strike him in the chest- He looks at me with a powerful expression, and I watch as his arm moves into position.. Oh this is gonna’ hurt~ He strikes me with a lightning fast punch. I’m sent flying, but I land on my feet. “How was that?! I know they won’t!” He shouts, exhausted from our sparring. Me on the other hand, I’m not at all exhausted. “When is it my turn to fight him?!” Kass shouts, causing us to look over at her. Lex slumps over and face plants onto the floor. “Aw.. I was hoping to teach him some martial arts.. And maybe practice my Fire Magic Styles on him.” She says, as she stands up.

I point my sword at her, and challenge her- “How’s about I take ya’ on!” I shout, as she steps down from the waiting zone. “Nah, you are nothing special compared Sirius’s power. I bet I would have you on the floor in moments.” She says, as she begins walking to the door. “You sure ‘bout that, fucker?!” I shout back, making her turn around. “Oh, is that how we are playing this?!” She shouts back, as her fins unfold themselves. She disappears for a moment and reappears in front of me- She turned into wind. “Do you really think you can stand up to someone, who can literally turn into air?” She says, staring me in the eyes.

“Ha! You’re not nearly fast enough to beat me!” I say to her, before she disappears again. I equip my sword, and I use it to block a fin slash. She tried to hit me with the fin on her right heel. She bounds backwards, landing in a weird pose. Air begins to concentrate around her hands, and she blasts me with a gust of wind that almost knocks me off my feet- Before I can get on my feet properly, she hits me with another- Before she can hit me with a third that would have surely knocked me over, I plant my right foot behind me and steady myself again.

I’m forced to dodge as Kass throws wind currents at me- Her talent for combat is honestly incredible. I dodge a few more currents until I find an opening, and throw a slash of my own at her. She quickly turns into wind- Alright then~ I feel the breeze of air rush past me, and turn to slash behind me, before my blade can connect she transforms back again, and dodges around me this time- “How did you-” She says, as I dash at her! “I can feel the wind move against me. I also realized ya’ can’t see when you’re in your wind form!” I shout, as she blocks strike after strike, until she stops my blade with two of her wrist fins, trapping it. “Alright then~” She says, as I slide my sword out of her little fin trap.

She turns into wind again, and I charge up my lightdrive. I look around, and wait for her to strike- There! She barely manages to block my sword as it sends her flying into the wall. “Your Martial Arts are good, I’ll give ya’ that, but I still have my own powers!” Kass shakes off the rubble, more air building in her hands. She blasts me with bursts of wind at my hand- My sword is tossed out of my grip- I use lightdrive to quickly reach back and grab it. I glide back with the wind and put my sword away.

I equip two of my knives instead, and I dash forwards with lightdrive- I appear in front of her, surprising her. She tries to kick me, but I vault over her leg with my left and hold myself upside down and start throwing stabs and slashes at her head. She dodges each one perfectly, until she blasts my stomach with a powerful burst of wind, sending my right into a pillar. “Are you okay?!” Kass says, as I stand up again. “Come on Kass! That didn’t hurt nearly as much as I was hoping!” I shout, as I toss a blade at her-

She tries to knock it away with a wind current, but it slides right through and she’s forced to knock it away with a Fin Blade. She knocks it straight into the floor, while I dash in front of her and throw more slashes at her. She deflects strike after strike as I simultaneously throw a knife into the air, and I nearly hit her with it- She blocks it in the same grip that she used to grab my sword. “Ya’ missed one!” I shout, as I kick the knife on the floor into the air, and use that same foot to nearly stab her in the stomach with it- She opens her mouth and licks some of the blood that was dripping from my head- It must have been from when I hit the pillar- She snaps the first blade in half, and grabs the one I nearly kicked into her- She almost slashes me in the eye, but I use two of my tentacles to stop her- “Calm down Kass, I won’t hurt you.” I say, as I place the blades in my hands and coil the tentacles around my arms once Kass stops pushing against my blades.

I coil another two around my legs, and grab the broken pieces of my shattered blade. “Man, I bet you’re angry now!” I say, as she continues to calm down. “You nearly stabbed me!” She shouts, as I place the broken pieces into my pocket. “Calm down Sis, I wouldn’t have stabbed ya’. Even if I did, we would have had Glant heal it up.” I say, as I toss three of my blades into the air. Kass stares at me in surprise, but that expression quickly turns to an intense look of concentration as she dashes back before I can get her with the first blade- I throw it into the air over her head, and kick the next one in her direction, she throws a water blast at it, and I use Lightdrive- I appear above her and nearly slam the blade above her head into her, she blocks it and I pull the string on the last blade. “What the hell!” She shouts, as the blade nicks her cheek. I land on the ground, and she kicks me in my torso, sending me a few feet away. She’s still way faster than me right now- She blasts me with wind current after wind current, slowly breaking my balance. She knocks me over with a blast of wind- I land on my hand and toss a blade at her face, and she quickly moves out of the way. She catches the second one, knocking it into the floor like the last one. She runs at me while altering the wind currents back into me- I jump and use my other four tentacles to crawl on the ceiling. “What in the-” She says, as she chases after me. “I’m a fuckin’ spider!” I shout while laughing.

I throw more knives at her, but she continues to deflect them while keeping her eyes on me. I land on the ground, once the wind currents calm down, and she tries to fire a blast of wind at me, but I activate my lightdrive and dash through it, punching Kass in the face. My punch sent her flying, knocking her flat on her back. “Come on, is that the best you can do?!” I shout, as she jumps back onto her feet, and dashes towards me. I block a direct hit with my tiny blades- She steps back, and takes on a different stance.

Water Magic builds in her hands, and she throws a powerful current of water at me- I’m knocked clean off my feet, while Kass comes running at me- I throw a blade at her, but it’s knocked away by another current of water. I dash around her, and throw more knives, but she manages to dodge around them somehow- She nearly strikes me with a fin blade, but I deflect it with my sword, surprising her. She steps back and throws a large current of water at me, which I cut directly in half with my sword. She manipulates and redirects the new currents into me, but I jump out of the way, and run towards Kass. Before I can strike, she tries to hit me first, but I quickly dodge out of the way and swing my sword straight up- She maneuvers her body around my blade in a weird fashion, and guides a new stream of water right into me- I dodge out of the way before it can hit me, and I take more swings at her with my sword, while she dodges each one.

This momentum continues for a few more minutes, until she finally hits me after I was forced to split a cheeky water current. I stand up again, and activate my lightdrive to deflect another water current, sending it right at her- She punches it straight through, the water blasting against her fist. I run next to the water current and I try to run her through, but she dodges again. She grabs the back of my sword and uses my momentum to wedge it into the floor.

I let go of my sword, and equip my spear. She stares at it, surprised I have more weapons. “Nothin’ ta’ say?” I say, waiting. “How many weapons do you have?” She says, sending another water current at me. “You’d be surprised!” I shout, as I throw the spear clean through the water stream, nearly hitting her. “What-” She shouts, surprised that it could glide through the water so easily. I summon it back into my hands, surprising her again. “What?!” She says once more.

“Pretty neat, huh?!” I shout, as I knock away water currents. She runs at me, and I strike her with the back end of the spear, stunning her long enough for me to spin it around, and nearly run her through- She grabs it, and lifts me and the spear over her head and straight into the floor- I land on my feet and do the same thing, like some sort of circus act- We fight over the spear for a moment, swinging each other around until I slam her through another pillar.

I thrust the spear at her head multiple times, and she dodges each time. She nearly grabs my spear, but this time I pull it away before she actually can. She throws another current at me, but I deflect it again, and she redirects it back at me- Ah, okay~ I keep deflecting the same current for a moment, as she keeps trying to redirect it at me. I grab the end of the current with the end of my spear, and redirect it right at her. She barely dodges and we watch as it blasts through multiple pillars and the wall.

She looks right at me again, and tries to hit me, but I drop my spear and raise my hands. “That was fun.” I say, as she’s stopped in her tracks. “What?” She says, as she falls over and I catch her. “I bet YOU’RE exhausted.” I say, as I help her onto her feet. Her hand is pretty bruised from when she threw that large water current at me. “Also, I was worried you might lose control.” I say as I let go of her, and she steadies herself.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“I had fun, Kass. Let’s do this again sometime.”

-√F-

The Movie fades to black once the ending credits finish.. Celest rolls her head back to look at me, her back against my chest as she rests on me. “What should we do now? Or do you just wanna’ sit here and cuddle?” She says, as I look back at her, staring into her relaxed golden slitted eyes. She rolls off of me, and sits up on the couch. I lift myself up along with her. “We’ve practically got the whole day- Hey, I heard you fought my sisters. How’d it go? You didn’t beat Kass up too much did’cha? Demi told me you almost killed her.” I look away for a moment, then rest against the arm of the couch, and I look back at her. She rests her back against the other arm rest, mimicking my pose.

“Honestly, I’d never been challenged like that before. I kind’a lost myself in’it’all. Sorry, Celest.” I say, thinking back on what happened- “It’s fine, you didn’t know. I just can’t get over the fact that you nearly killed them. Kass said you bit her a few times?” She says, with a concerned look on her face. “No, I should’ve known. We’re supposed to know everything about each other, I should’ve realized. Also, yeah, I may have bit’er a few times. I dunno’, it was realy hard to hit’er, and she was movin’ in’a weird way- It was real frustratin’.” I say, remembering how it all went down. She drops her smile- “Calm down, Sirius. I said it’s not your fault. If we really SHOULD know everything about each other, then you should agree with me on this. Now quit with the anxiety, you know better now. In the end, this was as bad as it could have gotten anyways, and you only ALMOST killed them- Think about it like this: You wouldn’t be here if it was bad as you think.” She says, trying to break it all down… “Th-Thanks Celest..” I say, as she smiles back at me again.

“Good. Now, come on, let’s go hang out with everyone else. I’m also taking you to fight Kass again, there’s no way she should be able to even land a hit on you, not when you’re so much stronger and faster than her.” She says, as she guides me out the Door. “Come on, I was dealin’ with Demitallis AND Kass. Demitallis kept muh powers in check with her weird bullet-orb things, so I was relegated ta’ hand-ta’-hand combat against her-” I say, trying to explain what happened. “Whatever. I’m gonna’ get you some proper combat training, it would be a shame to waste all of that talent. Also I noticed how you were fighting, I don’t like a brute, Sirius.” She says, as we walk down the sidewalk. There’s no vehicles or cars of any kind in sight, since nobody here is old enough to drive- “I think Vexalan has a few Cars, she likes collecting them. Kinda’ like with my Masks and I.” Celest says, surprising me. “Right.. Vexalan is from that Genillion Family, ‘ight? They disappeared a while ago… Weren’t they’a family’a dedicated assassins‘n’mercs, whatever ‘appened to’em?” I ask, recalling my father’s past dealings. “They were killed off by Arigold. Or so Lex says. Arigold himself has been after us since we were forced out of Genesis Haven....” She pauses for a moment- “You’re not gonna’ run off on me, just ‘cause we’ve got the most dangerous man in the world on our back.. Are you?” She says, looking me in the eyes, her grin betraying her intentions. “No, ‘course not-” She laughs at me, and turns around. “Of course I know you wouldn’t, silly. Come on.” She says, continuing to guide me along.

Something seems to surprise Celest, as we make a turn- She’s staring at a girl with gray hair and cat ears, who’s sitting at a table with four chairs surrounding it and an umbrella. “Speak of the devil.” Celest says, as her expression slowly turns to surprise, and the other girl looks at us in confusion. “Greetings Celest. Is that a friend of yours?” She says, looking at me. “Hi Vexalan, meet Sirius-” Vexalan’s eyes widen further in surprise and she sits up to get a better look at me. “Oh, he’s that friend you were talking about. I didn’t think I’d be meeting him so soon. Does he live here- Wait..” I look away nervously, while Vexalan just stares at Celest in disappointment. “Vexalan, I promise, the name’s really common-” Vexalan smacks her head against the table, then looks at Celest again, who’s looking particularly apologetic. “You seriously couldn’t connect the dots? All of this hassle could have easily been avoided, Celest.” She says, her kind voice showing a hint of something else. “His name really IS common, come on!” Celest shouts at her, trying to come up with excuses.

Vexalan waves it off, and looks at me with a smile, holding her hands together. “It’s nice to meet you Sirius. And since it turns out you’re the Sirius that fought my sisters, it turns out YOU are very strong, AND a Criminal.” She says, using her leg to offer me a chair, by sliding it around the table and into position. “Yeah..” I manage to get out, while moving to sit on the chair. Celest pulls out her own Chair, and sits down next to me. “I uh, I’m sorry. I should’ve known better.” I say, surprising her. “No, it’s quite alright. You were just trying to achieve your goals, just like we are. I’m more interested in the fact that you nearly defeated my sister Demitallis.” She says, surprising and somewhat annoying me instead. “Why da’y’all care so much? Yes, Demitallis is supah’ powerful, I simply figured I’d zap her a bit, ‘n it worked. Turns out puddle kids were known for ambushin’n’overwhelmin’ anything they could crush. That’s what my Uncle told me at least.” I say, trying to get this stupid thing over with. “That definitely explains how the species was killed off. Must’ve become pretty hard to find the stragglers.” Celest says, as she makes herself more comfortable... “Anyways. Demitallis’s only real power is’er strength, and ‘er strength’s ability’ta fire off those bullet-orbs at such incredible power. But that’s it. Her strength outweighs her durability so much, that if she tried, she could probably burst her body in an instant. What the original species was capable’ve must’a’been horrifying, we’re REAL lucky to be livin’ in such’a time’ve peace.” I say, finally releasing everything I had learned about the puddle kids, and relaxing.

Vexalan just nods, and tilts on her chair lightly. “Yeah, Puddle Kids are very cool, whatever. I can learn everything I need from the resident puddle kid down the street. I heard you were born quite powerful, this proven by the fact that you could take on two of our best fighters. So is it just you, or are all Krakens this powerful?” She says, making me mentally slap myself for not realizing. “Kind’a, I WAS born physically powerful for even Krakens, ‘real prodigy if you’d be so inclined. But every one’a’my kind is powerful, as sparse as us Krakens may be.” I say, thinking about some of my old friends. I should go visit them some time... “That’s very interesting. How does it feel to be born with so much natural strength, that you rarely find ANYONE who could actually put up a fight?” Vexalan says, with a bright smile.. “Well, in’all honesty, Demitallis is the first person ta’have ever really challenged me in strength. Aside from my Dad and Uncle of course. I guess there were SOME strong beings during the public gatherings, but fightin’ isn’t allowed at the aforementioned gatherings.” I say, as I think more about Vexalan’s question. “I guess it’s somewhat boring, but also easy. I was never really’a fan’a challenge in the first place, but it was’a nice change’a pace. When Demitallis and I started fightin’, I was completely blindsided by’er overwhelmin’ strength, I almost couldn’t believe what I was lookin’ at, as her bullet orbs flew through the water at blindin’ speed. So yeah, I guess everything has just been easy goin’, even after my parents died...” I say, trying to find anything of real substance to add.

“It’s kind of ironic, our Mother died not long ago, but we’re starting to get over it. How was it for you?” Vexalan asks, sounding oddly more sincere. “Heh, yeah. I guess yer’ right.. I guess you just kind’a learn to live with it, and it gets easier. You learn ta’ cherish what’s left of them. Ya’ know, their memories, what they left for ya’.. “N anything else.” I say, remembering back to the times when it was just my dad and I. “Enough about that though. What’s it like being in control of the ocean’s most powerful Crime Family?” Vexalan says, instantly moving on from the previous topic. “Ah, mm.” I say, as I think about it. “I guess it’s mostly just interestin’. There’s all this stuff I gotta’ keep track’ve. Sometimes it’s a lot of fun, like when I’m doin’ crimes wit’da’boys back home. And overwhelmin’, when we’re caut. Most people won’t fuck’wit’us ‘cause of our status, and my power though anyways.” I say, trying to convey how I feel about it. It’s not like it’s particularly tough on me, I mostly deal with heavy lifting anyways, I’m just the final authority. Not that I trust myself enough to make a proper decision though.

Celest starts laughing at me, interrupting my inner monologue- “What’s so funny-” Vexalan says, focusing on Celest, but still looking for any points of interest. “No- It’s just, Sirius is being really silly right now. I’m reading his mind in real time.” Celest says, surprising Vexalan- “Wait, you can read minds?!” She says, making a little more distance between herself and Celest. “No, it’s our Legendary Commune ability, I’m using it to read his thoughts and emotions in real time. He’s actually very silly on the inside.” Vexalan begins to calm down, as Celest’s explanation goes on. “Well, alright then.. But if I find out you can, then I’ll-” She stops herself- “Well I’m not quite sure, actually…” She says, deeply contemplating all courses of action afforded to her. “I’ll do something, and you wouldn’t like it!” She says, pointing at Celest.

“I see.” Celest says, not taking her seriously at all. “Anyways, I think it’s about time we got going. I’m taking Sirius here to go fight Kass, and then get proper training from her. He was born powerful, but he doesn’t possess even an ounce of ACTUAL combat skill.” Celest says, as we both stand up. “Well, it’s been nice then. Bye Sirius.”

She and I wave back at each other, as Celest and I leave.

-√C-

The Idiot and I wave at each other, as he walks away with my older Sister. They’re finally gone...

I look around and watch my siblings mingle with each other. We’re still learning each other’s names, even though it’s already been a couple of months. Well, I already know everyone’s names, since I made it a point to get that over with quickly. As insufferable as some of them may be…

I should get home already, I really need to contact Skall. It’s tough enough getting contact with a guy like him, and Celest distracting me and ruining our schedule. Stupid bitch. I stand up from my chair in anger, nearly knocking it over- I catch it with my tail, and move out of the way as I put it back into position. Why am I so bad at this? I shouldn’t make such mistakes like this, I’m so obvious, even Celest’s stupid friend could probably see through me if he tried hard enough…

I pick up my POC (Portable-Oculory-Conceiver) and walk off, returning to my home. Now in case you’re an idiot, a POC is the latest processor model in Neotopia, and it’s set to release in a month for the world to start buying. It uses the same technology as Demistar’s Synthetic Brain, just on a smaller scale. The way you use it, is you stare into the orb like a crystal ball, and you can find what you’re looking for, as it reads your Mind. Alright, there you go, now you know, shut the fuck up.

Finally, I’m home.. Ant Supermajors bow to me as I pass by them, arriving at the front door. I look around at my amazing mansion. It’s about 10 stories tall, and full of rooms I don’t need, nor plan to ever use. Meta’s been living with me for the time being, since I’ve got the largest house on the island, and her drones are still digging out her underground crypt.

I enter my home, and walk through the entrance hall, and into the massive living room where I find Meta. “Hey.” “Hi.” We say to each other, as I walk past her. She sits there, staring at a screen.. She’s been reading stuff about telepathy, for whatever reason.

I make my way up the stairs, step by step, one by one… Why did I make this place so damn tall?! By the time I get to the third story, I jump onto the railing, and charge lightning in my legs- I jump from railing to railing until I’m at the top floor. I walk around the catwalk hanging over the living room. Yes the living room is six stories of open space, it’s absolutely massive. I walk past multiple doors, until I find one with an S carved into it. Fucker damaged my door.

I enter the room, and find him there, sitting down on a chair, with his legs kicked up. “Wake up dumbass, I’m here.” I say, startling him- He snaps awake and falls off the chair. “Fuck man, you can’t just wake a guy up like that-” He slowly stands up, fully revealing his skeletal face. “You’re supposed to be the best mercenary on the planet?” I say, completely unimpressed. “Don’t you judge me, kid- Wait, how do you know that? Where’s your parents?”

“She’s dead, died a while ago. Anyways, I’M the one who called you here, idiot.” I say, while staring at his expressionless face. “Damn, they’re gettin’ younger everyday. I’ve got a busy schedule. So what do ya’ want, brat?” He says, looking down at me. “Oh I know you’re not busy, don’t try playing that with me. Second, don’t ever leave one of those stupid symbols anywhere again, if one of my siblings see that stupid thing, they’ll have questions.” He just looks at the door, and pauses for a moment. “Wait, Siblings? I thought it was just that ant girl-” He says, annoying me with his incessant questions. “Everyone on the island are my brothers and sisters. Not biologically related, but we’re all siblings to each other. Did you not notice that there are no grownups here?” I say, as he starts scraping his finger bones against his chin. “I see… Still, you haven’t told me what you want. And I’m expensive, so you better have something worth it.”

“You’re a very famous person, you’re known for your power. I want you to teach me to do what you do. And one other thing, I want you to figure out who kidnapped the princess of Ryleth.” He pauses for a moment- “What- Ryleth?! The underwater city? You want me to go down there and investigate? I can’t go down there, I’ll fuckin’ drown!” He says, slamming his fist on the table. “You’re a Skeleton..” I say… This guy is unbelievable- “Oh, shit, yeah I am… Anyways, movin’ on. Pretty bold’a you to ask for teachin’ from someone like me, little missy. Do you have any idea how expensive my time is? Also gotta’ factor in the mission.” He says, sitting back down, and pointing his gloved finger at me. “I’ll let you stay here with me, while you’re teaching me. On completion of the mision.. I’ll give you one of my cars, your choice, I’m sure you saw them on your way in.” He nods slowly.. “Mm, I’ll accept the mission, but I don’t need a new place to stay… I’m not that easy, kid.” He says, pulling out a canister of what I can only assume is alcohol. There we go... “I’ve also got enough Alcohol to kill a horse, and enough brands to satisfy even someone like you.” I say, making him drop his canister. I watch as it stains my floor.

“Can I bring anyone I like?”

“Fine.”

“WOOOH”

That noise rings through the air, upsetting the entire room- “You’re responsible for what they do here- And don’t let anyone see them!” He really IS strong, even his voice is powerful enough to shake the room! “Lessons start in a week!” He shouts, as his spurs slam into my table, completely decimating it. He grabs my arm and pulls me into a bear hug, taking me by surprise- “What’s yer’ name kiddo’?!” He shouts, surprising me further- “V-Vexalan.” I say, as he places me on the ground, and tries to ruffle my hair- I grab his arm. “I have standards, bastard.” I say, as my rage festers. “Just you wait kid, you won’t regret this!” He says, as he runs to the door, and kicks it open- “Alcohol’s in the basement. No touching the stuff in the safe, it’s MINE.” He gives me a quick thumbs up, and runs off.

-√A-

What was that noise?

I look around, as I sit in my bowl. “Hey, Demi, do you know where Kass is?” Celest asks me, with Sirius, who’s looking a little dragged along.

Demi - “I think I heard her and Veyta were sparring in the training hall.”

And just as soon as they arrived, they were gone. Runnin’ off in the distance, folowed by two soldiers from Ryleth.

“Hi Demi!” Veloura says, walking up next to me. “It’s been a while.. What have you been up to?” She says, as she looks down at me.

Demi - “Yeah, it has. As I’m sure you know, I’ve been hard at work fixin Ryleth’s current problem. Finding out who kidnapped Princess Stallatia, and hopefully getting a chance to kick their ass.”

Veloura simply nods, slightly cringing at my curse. “Flare, Calvin, and I have been exploring Pandora, the Elephant-Whale.” She says, as she pulls up a chair to sit down and talk with me for a while.

Demi - “Well, I guess since both of them can’t survive in the water for long, and you can’t breathe underwater, it’s the next best option. Have you seen Everessence?”

She rubs her chin for a moment. “Oh, it’s WAY worse, it’s undergoing a civil war. We’ve actually been trying to deal with it, but it’s really complicated.” She says, as she looks away.

Demi - “Seriously? I really should finish up here, and see what I can do there-”

She looks back at me from the corner of her eye, something obviously distracting her- “I don’t know if you can, Demi. I mean, it’s been going on for a while now, and the only way I see it stopping, is if either one side gives up, or well..” Veloura’s never been a fan of death, doesn’t even like to talk about it.

Demi - “Yeesh. I figured it’d be an in and out job here. Ya’ know, get in, fix their problems, show Ryleth’s people that I’m actually awesome, get out, move on..”

Veloura begins to cheer up as she giggles lightly at me- “You didn’t think it would be that simple did you? This battle has been going for thousands of years, of course we weren’t going to end it in a day. Listen, you finish up here, I’m sure I’ll find a way to deal with Everessence’s Problems before you even get there.” She says, as her mood brightens, and she begins to stand up from her chair. Ah, it seems like she’s leaving already… I’m glad that she’s keeping in good spirits.

Demi - “Hey, Veyta’s been pretty bored, maybe you can take her and Glant along.”

She gives me a thumbs up, and a quick “Thanks” before running off to wherever.

-√F-

“Where’s Kass?!” Celest shouts, looking around the room. The only person I see is a Beholder Demihuman. It’s a girl with one eye and a wide mouth. “Just missed her, sis.” She says, as her sword rests against her shoulder, and blood flows from her forehead..

“Are you okay?” I ask.. I just can’t help but think about how bad it looks. She looks over herself, then slaps herself on the forehead, and points at the open wound- “Ah- This, of course. I got this from Kass, she threw me into a pillar earlier. ‘Beat’er up real good for that. I’m fine though.” She says, looking away. “You beat Kass?” Celest asks, walking up to her taller sister. “Oh yeah, totally. I had to slow down just so she could focus. I do admit I might have gotten carried away near the end there, nearly ran her through with one of my scorpions, heh. Broke one of’em ‘cause of that.” Her grin falls to a more neutral expression, as she looks down at the broken pieces of a tiny blade. “That makes sense, it IS a pretty tiny blade.” Her eye snaps open, and looks at me- She shoves her hand in her coat, and tosses a tiny blade at me- It startles Celest, and barely cuts my cheek- “They can still cut, squid boy!” A thread pulls it back- “‘Never seen a Demihuman like you though.” She says as she calmly walks over to me. “Is it really just the hair?” She says, as she inspects my head- “Enough!” I shout, and I punch her in the face for the cut- “Woah, shit-” She shouts, as she fails to dodge my strike, which knocks her clean into the floor. “Damn, you hit REAL hard- Ah~ I get it now, you must be Sirius.” She says, as she stands up again, with a nasty bruise on her face-

I hit her too hard- “S-Sor-” Before I can finish though- “Don’t appologize to her, she let you hit’er.” Celest says, with a disappointed look on her face. “She’s a masochist.” Celest says, as her sister pockets the broken pieces of her knife. “Would you like a quick Match, Sirius? I heard you beat up both Kass, AND Demi.” She says, as I try to take a step back- “N-No, I don’t like fighting in the first place-” I say, as I continue to step backwards. “Come on, Sirius, she beat Kass, so you just have to beat her. Thus, you’ve beaten Kass.” Celest says, grabbing my arm. “Celest..” I say, as I look at her-

“Nevermind.”

I hear from the left of me, as Celest continues to gode me into fighting her sister. “What-” Celest says, as she looks at her. “I don’t wanna’ fight anymore. Hi, I’m Veytatasm, you’ve already met Glantinazor, my close brother.” She says, as she holds out her hand for me to shake it.. “Why the change of heart?” I ask, as I shake her hand. “Oh, no reason in particular, just don’t feel like it anymore.” She says, as she sheaths her sword. Thank the great old one, I don’t have to fight her… Celest just folds her arms, as she stares at Veyta. “Fine. There’s nothing we can do about it then. Come on Sirius-” She’s quickly interrupted- “So, you two dating?” Veytatasm blatantly says, startling Celest and I. “O-Oh, no, we’re not. Sirius and I are just friends.” Celest says, the surprise from what Veytatasm said making her stutter.

Veytatasm just laughs for whatever reason, then speaks up. “Alright, I think it’s about time I got going anyways. Hey, Sirius, don’t worry, I can see it in your eyes. If anyone else tries to challenge you, send’em my way, or I’ll beat you up myself.” She says, as she walks past me, her eye focusing one me… “Y-Yeah, you got it.” I say, as this finally ends… “Damnit Veyta..” Celest says, watching Veytatasm walk away, as she folds her arms. “Ruining my fun... Come on Sirius, combat training can wait, and it’s getting late. Let’s go home.” I nod lightly, I’m just happy this is over. I admit I’m willing to kill people, but it’s not like I’m comfortable with it.

-√F-

I look around… I’m in some sort of prison- I place my hand on the metal bars, and run it down the poles metal surface. It’s the same metal we use in our jails. It’s Seasoul, incredibly enchantable, and extremely tough. I’m not breaking out of this, but at least I know I’m still in the kingdom somewhere. You can’t transport this material without my mother hearing about it. It’s actually the same material my Seismic Trident is made of.

Enough of that, I need to find more information- “Oh, you’re awake-” I hear from the other side of the bars, there was a woman sleeping on a chair over there, I didn’t notice her, because it’s too dark. “What happened? Why am I here?” I ask, looking around.

“Ah yes, I imagine you have some questions. You’ve been kidnapped by us, we’re currently holding you captive, and plan to pin that little crime on Sirius Bask.” She says, looking to the side. “Who are you working for?” I ask, trying to gather more information. “Oh, he’s on his way. We were really hoping that Sirius Bask would take the fighting to Ryleth, then I would have been able to save the day, and be the big hero.” She says, as she holds her hands together.

We just stand here and stare at each other through the bars… “Did you know there used to be World Powers before the current ones? The current ones didn’t start the thing, but they certainly elevated it.” She says, as I nervously look around. “N-Neat.” I say, as we awkwardly stare at each other… “You’re very cute.” She adds...

A door slams open, and a large man steps through- It’s Fallengrar, he’s a member of the low council of Ryleth/ “Wh-What-” I manage to say, as I try to make sense of things… “Hey man, she’s awake.” The woman says, as Fallengrar walks up next to her. “Good job keeping an eye on the kid. You can go take a break now, if you want, Solasara.” He says to her, but she stands up and dismisses it. “No, I’d rather stay. She’s very pretty, I like staring at her.” She says, making me back away- “Uh..” I accidentally blurt out, catching Fallengrar’s attention for a moment- “Have it your way.” He says, and steps up to the bars of my jail cell.

“Sorry we’ve gotta’ treat you like this Princess, you were supposed to be caught in the crossfire of that Kraken’s Rampage.” He says, spelling out everything.. “You’re kidding-” I say, as my hands cover my mouth… “Why are you doing this?” I say, as I look around my cell. “Power, Money, that stuff. I’m trying to ascend to a mid council of the world powers position, and then some day, maybe even as one of the night legendary members of the World Council.” He says,staring directly at me.

The councils.. Created by the original members of The World Council, they’re the most politically powerful people on the planet, and are backed by multiple world powers, who were assigned a Mid Council, due to their agreements... The low council of Ryleth primarily helps with trade, so we get the necessary things we need down here, and distribute our own goods.

“Does anyone else, have anything to do with this?” I ask, surprising him. “Oh, no, it’s just me, those old fools don’t have any ambition.” Fallengrar is one of the few members of our low council, who isn’t originally from Ryleth. “Yeah, I only came to this backwater kingdom, because I realized how easy it’ll be to take it over. I just need someone more controllable, when you and your mother are out of the picture.” He continues on. “Why are you telling me all of this?” I ask, looking him in the eyes. “Well, I’m not completely without compassion.” He says, as he looks over at the door. “Well, either way, I have to get going. I have a kingdom to take.” He says, as he walks away. “Come on, Sola, I could use your help. Get me in an empty room outside of the castle.” He says, causing her to nod. “You got it.” She holds her hand in front of her face, and a dark and purple mist flows up her arm and into the air. She stares at it for a moment, and sucks it back in. She pulls her arm back down, and larger amounts of the dark mist flow from her feet and envelop her and Fallengrar, until it finally falls in on itself and disappears.

“Are they gone?” I say, as I look around… I look at the bars again- If I had my trident, I could probably break the bars, or at least bend them out of the way. I look around the rest of my cell. It’s mostly bricks, the bars are far tougher than them, but I doubt they would make such a blunder, as to let me dig my way out. There’s a drain here, being underwater, leaks happen all the time, so there’s a thorough sewage system, to get water out of areas it shouldn’t be.

I have a table in here, and a plate of food. I guess it’s nice that I don’t have to die of starvation here. And I guess it wouldn’t help them, if I starved to death in a dungeon, instead of to the other guy. On the other side of my room, I can see the bed I woke up on. It’s a normal wood bed, there’s not even a mattress.. No wonder my back hurts so bad. That Sola girl must have brought me here, if she can teleport that easily…

I have to escape somehow, I’m not some sort of liability. The bars are too close together for me to squeeze past, that won’t work.. Maybe I really should try the bricks… I look at the drain again, it’s made of metal. I grab it, and tear it from the bricks. So it really is weak here, but the drain is too thin for me to slip through. I slot the drain back in its spot..

I look at the back wall, and walk over to it. I place my hand on it, and push against it. It’s pretty tough, but I think if I had enough force, I could break through. I coat my arm in a tough metal, and throw my fist at it, damaging it. It can’t be this easy…

I burst the metal plates off my arm with magic, and built sharp metal gauntlets on my arms instead. I flex my hands, to check if they can move, and the gauntlets move nicely.

Good.

I start digging by slashing my fingers at the walls. I break into a new cell. Getting a better idea of the layout, but before I get a chance to think any further, the bars in the new cell suddenly get closer, and I-

End of Chapter 28√ACF “Goodnight, princess.”

Thank you for reading.

“Did you know there used to be a Necromancer named Vexa? That’s where the name originates! Thanks for reading!”