Sounness busied herself, helping her siblings collect the trays of food for later use. Not all of it could be preserved for later, so why working she partake in the dished as she carried them to the kitchen. A blessing as she hadn’t had the time to eat a proper meal since the removal of unworthy.

Nothing she had planned and worked for, had gone right. She couldn’t consider the coup succeeding a mark towards her favor. It was a given, the removal was going to happen. The rest, the hope for a smooth transition, of siblings behaving and doing their best to care for the Divine, had not. Already she heard them scheming to move closer to the Divine, to be nearer his light. She indulged in the ventures as well, she had to, or be marked as one of Tealhun truly loyal, which she was not. Nor was there any, not after the many displays of utter arrogance on her sibling part. It had caught Sounness by surprise, Tealhun had never displayed such brazen behavior before. Something Sounness had expected to worm itself out during the training committed by Unthee.

‘Then again Unthee already had her eyes on others.’ Herself for one, at the time Sounness cursed her birth Mother every Rotation. As she was whipped and beaten till she was left bleeding on the floor. ‘The eyes my dear daughter, we can’t have such heated eyes looking upon him.’ It was Unthee favorite excuse to use against her. Even when Sounness was sure her eyes weren’t conveying a thing. She eventually got tired of the beatings, of being made into an example for others. So after every lesson, when she had higher things to do. She instead spent her time looking into a mirror, watching her eyes, practicing to make them as lifeless and dead as possible. To look like the empty doll her Mother was desperate to make her into. It took an Arc before she had mastered it enough that she no longer had to focus to maintain the act. The beatings lessened after, became less frequent, with little effort put into it, more of a need to maintain the doll than anything.

“Sounness” one of her siblings called behind her, as she scraped the untouched food into a container for preservation. The call had startled her, but her body well trained didn't convey a thing as it remained unmoved. She looked back as one of her sisters came close, the sibling looking away from her eyes when they meet. A combination of showering respect, and not wanting to look into her eyes. The emptiness Sounness was once told, brought back memories of their training, which few wanted to recall.

Sounness put the plate down, as the sibling continued to close, hands out in the open in showing that no ill was being made. Once close enough that they could hug one another, her sister quickly Signed that the guests had all left, that the Estate was empty of prying eyes. Sounness Signed in acknowledgment that she was ready to play her part, and for the others to make their choice. The sibling left after, fast as she had come, and Sounness returned to lowly matters, anything that would keep her from returning to the Divine Chamber. She had to make sure everyone was ready to remove her misguided sibling. It was a waste in truth, Tealhun was a born ruler, well accustomed to the Task of ordering others. Able to see how best to use people to their greatest Worth. If only she wasn’t so arrogant, so full of self-Worth. Being around the Divine was speeding up the process. Every Rotation she was becoming more slack in her words around him, more comfortable with crossing, or outright talking against his decisions.

True many of the things Sounness Divine called for were foolish and misguided, but such things had to be addressed slowly, carefully, and most of all respectfully. Tealhun did none of those, rebuking him with little to no tact, and worse, acted as if she was training a Newborn. More than once Sounness expected to see her sibling be blasted apart. She would have done so if the roles had been reversed. But her Divine only glared or displayed mild annoyance.

A side effect of his kind nature, and possibly his lack of proper training. She knew little of their Divine past, except that he came from below. The knowledge of that place made it abundantly clear he hadn’t been provided the same knowledge and tutelage she and her siblings had been provided. Worse is her Divine still may not have a full grasp of his Worth, didn't understand that he didn’t have to lower himself for anyone.

All things Sounness would correct, once Tealhun and her cursed tongue was out of the way. That and Sounness own body would be forced to cooperate. It was embarrassing that all her training would slip the moment he was near enough, and his gaze fell upon her. Her body would tense, her tongue loose and unable to form words without a great deal of concentration. Worst was the tears that fought to reach the surface, once his warmth was focused on her. It felt as if every ill emotion was trying to flee from her body, to escape his blinding gaze.

She was getting better at holding it down, her Divine presence making for an excellent training tool. For once she was removed from him, her control of will to move her emotions about as she pleased became almost effortless. Letting her think clearly, letting her view things free of the colored lenses of ill emotions, and its many illusions. It let her see her Bedsister as the threat she was, once the closeness of their bond was removed it became blatant. Tealhun actions even if she wasn’t aware of it, was putting them all in great peril.

Once they were in a Tower around a swarm of outsiders watching their every action. Tealhun way of talking with the Divine would eventually be noticed. This could lead to many things, all cursed outcomes. The chance of another cleansing was high, or maybe a coup to remove them all for letting someone talk in so rude a manner towards someone so High. That would be one of the few ways Sounness saw her Divine losing himself to anger. With his will and the might of his Soul, even a short lapse of care would lead to ruin. The damage he could cause even enclosed within Warded walls wasn’t something to underestimate. He was Chosen, after all, it wasn’t farfetched in thinking that the Giver herself may lay a helping hand and aid one of her Divine.

But the worst outcome Sounness saw was the Watchers and those that stood above them would see the act and copy it. Determine that it was fine, a normal way to discuss matters with her Divine. Made worse, since not once her Divine had actually reprimanded Tealhun for her behavior. He accepted it for the most part with little to no complaint. An action that worried Sounness, she theorized it was because of his upbringing, he wasn’t born Divine after all. Even with the few Arcs she existed she had watched in wonder as her Divine rose effortlessly, the Giver blessing him every Rotation, not missing a single Renewal. There was times it slowed, that she remembered, but only because the blessing changed. It had returned to normal and grown in such weight her Divine had to consume Hearts to keep up the Givers demands.

But for all his blessings, all his changes he still appeared to be the same person inside. A male improperly trained, and unaccustomed to being the one in charge. Unaccustomed to being the one that changed the realm around him. That nature Sounness, and likely all her siblings, had picked up on. Their Divine still had the flaw of adapting to change, rather than making change adapt to him.

It would take time for Sounness and her siblings to get their Divine to understand, to accept his place among the realm. His kindness was slowing that process, or perhaps causing him to not take the correct course of action because it could harm others. But even if he had been a normal man, it would take him an Arc or more to come to terms with his lot. None of Sounness knowledge showed a case similar to their Divine. Though her pool of information was shallow compared to those on High. Perhaps once in a Tower, she’ll have the chance to gain more Honored knowledge, revealing secrets Lowly weren’t allowed to know. Hopefully, there will be knowledge of Worth that could help her make the transition in her Divine life easier. Those from Below weren’t supposed to rise, not in the manner their Divine had. The memories of her Trainers stated clearly ‘that those Below of little to no souls were abandoned by the Giver, not Worthy to stay within the sacred walls of a Sanctum.’ Yet here her Divine was, more blessed than any person Sounness knew of. All in less than a Cycle. She wondered how her Trainers would fair with that knew stone of truth. They couldn’t deny it, for her Divine was a living testament they were wrong.

So very wrong. For her Divine was blessed continually, with no display of stopping. It revealed to her, that the need to guide their Divine correctly was even more apparent. For with him continuing to rise in Worth, he could one Rotation be above all, within this Sanctum, maybe all the others. Maybe even to those that lived within Sanctuary. A lofty dream and delusion, for her Divine, to stand with the Ancestors in Worth, even though those individuals had been among this plane even before Strife hit.

If that Rotation came to pass, her Divine had to know his Worth and be able to continue to measure it. Not something that would be easy for anyone to learn. It normal took Arcs, or for the truly unblessed, Cycles, to display a rise in Worth. Allowing people plenty of time to measure and have a firm grasp of what they Offered, and where they belong among the many Souls within a Sanctum. Her Divine had none of those luxuries, not till the Giver turned her eyes elsewhere, to another she wished to bless. Sounness would have to do her best and help him build a framework so he could have a vague understanding of his place among the Vail.

She Offered to the Giver that she be provided the time to do so. That she could impart some understanding before the swarm of new Maidens come to influence him as Sounness Mothers had. Their venture to remove Tealhun so soon after she was known and Titled by the Divine, was a gamble that they were forced to take because of this.

Sounness stopped her work as she held the empty tray in her hand. She rubbed the edges of the item with her thumbs as Worry moved its way to the thoughts in her mind, followed with a feeling of wrongness.

The whole Venture that was to come was going to rely on the very thing that was the source of the problem. His kindness, his warmth, they were going to use it against him. As they did before by accident before they knew how much sway it had over him. They were going to remove Tealhun, and hope as before his Kindness barred him from taking action. That he would avoid killing them or have them sent out to the Front. She was prepared to meet either end, even if his Kindness failed to blind her Divine again. If it meant he was away from the influence of her deranged Bedsister, then to her it was a fair trade.

Something other members of her House may not be as inclined to share in. She knew some of her sisters were doing this for more than just the benefit of her Divine. They wanted another chance to get near him before the flood of Maidens from various Houses came in filling their ranks. She’d been like that too once before she acquired it solely for being near Tealhun, her aid. If times weren’t so uncertain, and their Divine patience already thin, Sounness would have been judged for Cleansing also. She had no doubt, it was the way of the realm. Those Worthy would remain by the Divine side, those who couldn’t hold themselves up would be sent hurling down. She had done her best to meet those standards, to fulfill her Divines wants to the best of her abilities, to advise him, rather than everyone wishing to guide him down the paths they desired.

Once her Bedsister was gone, things would get easier. With Tealhun out of the way, and her nescient need to be the only one to have their Divine attention. Sounness could rally support, bring in more siblings to advise their Divine in matters he needed aid in. That and it would give her the required numbers to keep others away from trying to remove her. She was going to need that more than ever once Maidens entered into their House. Women from the Towers, full of connections with the most influential souls, who were going to be vying for her Divine attention. If Sounness and her sisters weren’t careful, they could themselves pushed down the Titles of the House. Unable to get word to their Divine if he began to be led astray again.

Sounness allowed the weariness of a sigh to depart from her. A rare moment of showing emotion without the Divine light pulling it out of her. She had learned much from this Venture to claim their Divine. Learned that no one knew what one's actions were going to bring. They could have a vague idea or a hope that what they wanted would occur.

They had, and that hope blinded them. If Sounness could turn things back, she would have spent another Arc or two preparing her siblings for the Cleansing. Would have gathered supplies and made more connections in rival Houses before starting the event that led to the mess she was now in. But most of all she would have been far more careful with the information she handed over to the Faceless. She had revealed too much, let those on High see to clear a picture of her Divine Worth. Now everyone wanted him for themselves, in the past, she would have seen that as right. Something that should be, now all she wished was the swarming of Offering Women and their Houses to go away. An impossibility now, the Heralds had been in his presence, felt the warmth that flowed from him like a never-ending tide.

It had been a trying moment of time to keep her training in place. To keep the swirling emotions that fought to rise, down where they belonged. Sounness always had an inkling that her Divine could control the amount of warmth he displayed. She hadn’t known, however, how easily he could submerge them in it. That had been blissful, and if she hadn’t been accustomed to his warmth, she would have been as blinded as the Heralds. That had added to the merriment, seeing them all consumed so easily by him, shown how lowly they were compared to his Worth.

After they left, the flow of warmth lessened and Sounness had full control of herself again. Only then did she realize what a horrible mistake they’d let happen. Before all the Houses had to go on was visions of their Divines Worth. Now, now they got to feel his presence, to bask in a Soul that all would rush to claim. The Maidens brought to his side will do everything possible to have any chance to remain beside him. Will remove any obstacle blocking their path to his light.

Depending on how loose the Heralds were revealing their experience, things could quickly become hectic. She held belief the Anointed and Elders wouldn’t let things worsen, at least when it came to the destruction of the Sanctum. But Sounness could envision dealing with the Faceless becoming much more frequent. Hidden skirmishes would become the new normal, and Offers of joining. Her siblings had talked a great deal about the many looks of Offer they got. How practically every male Tasked with guarding the Heralds, spent most of their time watching her sisters with great interest. It opened a great many opportunities for all of them, an easy means to influence the Houses they were to join with.

Sounness breathed out, laid the plate she was holding on top of the others that needed to be cleaned. She was getting ahead of herself, planning for matters before a crucial one was already dealt with. Tealhun wouldn’t go down quietly if she had the chance to fight back, or worse run towards their Divine to beg for his protection as Sounness Mother had tried. Normally Sounness would expect her Bedsister to already know this was coming, and have a counter in place to remove her rivals. But Tealhun hadn’t been herself lately, not since she became an Advisor. Even before that, she had begun to slip in her observations. She had become blinded, as their Mothers had, and Sounness thought, ‘we all might become eventually’. Sounness and her siblings all had well-endowed souls, above most, if those in the Towers apparently. But compared to their Divine, they might as well have been Soulless for all the good it did them.

Being near him, within the range of his presence was difficult at the best of times, mind-numbing during the worst. It was getting worse, doubly so with his odd nature. His urge to comfort people he deemed close to him. Of late Sounness had to spend less time with her Divine, instead busying herself with lowly matters. The distance helped her awaken from the stupor she was falling into.

It allowed her to maintain her vigil and keep track of others matters that didn’t revolve around her Divine. She couldn’t exactly keep him pleased if she found herself removed by a rival not blind. Sounness had no desire to meet such an end. To fall prey to the same scheme she and her fellow siblings were going to use against Tealhun.

‘Such a waste’ she thought as she continued putting the leftovers away. ‘If only you weren’t so arrogant Tealhun, I would have helped you through this.’ She would have tried to anyways. But pulling the Blind from their source of want wasn’t easy. Doing it to someone blinded by their Divine? Sounness wasn’t sure it was possible, she would have done her best, as a Bedsister should. But Tealhun had forced her hand, her attitude towards their Divine and to others had caused this. The added blindness was only hastening the outcome of an event that would have happened eventually.

Sounness quickly scanned over her shoulder, her ears flexed and listening as she waited for the signal to group with the rest of her siblings. She wanted this matter dealt with, there was so much more to be done, and little time.

It was a given the Heralds would be back soon, in their rush to deliver the Offer to their Mothers they left their Hosts behind. A Clear enough statement that all was settled and only the formalities needed to be finished. They felt the Divine warmth, maybe saw some of his light to, the clothing even thick was slightly glowing in some areas. Not to mention the mask, the glow of his eyes could still be vaguely seen.

The Heralds now witnessed to him, would make all haste to get him into their clutches, get him hidden within a Tower. Something that should have happened long ago. Before his Worth got to this point that his blinding light was making people act in ill manners. A skirmish the size all of them had witnessed was a vivid sign that his time among the Lowly was well overdue. The Houses around them may be below Sounness and her sibling notice. But she wasn’t blind enough not to know that they served a purpose. The death of so many, when last she heard a flock was finally being formed. Was another sign her Divine had to be whisked away somewhere secure, a place all his needs and wants could be meet without outside matters affecting him. Warded walls would do that Task well, help keep the noise of skirmishes and the rattling it caused away from him so he wouldn’t notice when a Cleansing was occurring.

A chime rang, only long enough for a single note to form and reach her ears. Sounness stopped her work, as she called on water to wash her hands. A hum had them dry and she turned to see one of her sisters heading to her. Sounness could see the nervousness, this one had been one of Tealhun supporters. But Tealhun actions, and her blindness to maintain her support had the sister turning on Tealhun like all the others.

The sister didn’t speak, worry got the better of her, she instead Signed, even though there wasn’t any who didn’t know about the Venture. “Everyone has completed their Tasks, we’re ready to deal with Tealhun” her sister Signed, her hand movements shaky.

Sounness nodded, knowing that even though her sister's eyes were looking down, she could still see the gesture. “I’m ready as well, go and get everyone in place. I’ll head over to Papa chamber and wait for the signal.” Her sister bowed to her once before embarking. A display that with Tealhun about to be removed, most saw her as the new Advisor, even if her Divine hadn’t formally done so. She was the only other daughter her Divine knew by name. Once this matter was completed she would be the one to display their Task to him. The one to try and help him see the truth, and keep his anger in check. The thought of it was almost enough for a speck of apprehension to appear on her face. Almost, for now, she still had control, but once in his presence? With his warmth pressing into her? Things would change, her body would fight her, and her tongue would refuse to formal the words needed to speak her wisdom. The act of it had forced her to turn to Vollow. The only other one willing to voice his opinion in their Divine presence. She was relieved he had accepted her Offer, she needed him there, not only for the sway he had over the Divine sons. But so he would carry on with the display when her voice failed her.

She Offered to the Giver as she headed to the Divine Chamber. ‘Giver, please provide me the strength to display our truth.’ She was tempted to beg for more, perhaps protection, but she thought better of it, the Giver didn’t look fondly on overbearing children. She was already about to anger one Divine best not to add another.

The walk to the chamber was a somber one, those she passed bowed in her direction, grim-faced and as nervous as the sister she sent away. Half of the House was participating in this small cleansing, the others that reused claimed it was ill timing. That they should wait, give their Divine more time to recover from the last removal. Sounness understood, as did all those involved, but it was for the betterment of them all that Tealhun was removed now. Before the House was weighed down with the endless Tasks of moving into a new Estate, and weaving new contacts. No, even though she wished to agree with the reluctant ones, this had to be done now. So she centered herself as the door to the Divine Chamber stood in front of her. The sisters guarding the entrance parted for her, all fighting away the fear that was coursing through them.

Sounness stayed there waiting till she heard the chime of a bell behind her, then she knocked, five quick strikes against the door. Displaying who it was knocking and asking for the permission of entrance. “Enter” she heard Tealhun say, her tone mixed with the emotion of annoyance. Sounness had her own emotion clawing at her mind, a morsel of anger. For it was the Divine who was supposed to decide and tell people if they were allowed in his Chamber or not.

She followed their custom, opening one of the doors enough for her to slip inside, and closing it as soon as she was through. The Divine was in his bed, one would assume he was asleep, but Sounness knew differently. His channels were pulsing, his breathing heavy, each breath he filled his lungs to their max ability. He was in one of his trances, the Give once more blessing him. It happened often, always when the Tasks for the Rotation was complete. It seemed the Giver herself was watching for the right moment to send a blessing, which Sounness Offered would continue.

It also explained Tealhun tone, her sister enjoyed watching the display of Worth, Sounness did too, but she was clear-minded enough not to watch, lest she become as blinded as her sister. Sounness lowered her vision to the floor as she walked over to Tealhun. Her sister had become so filled with self-Worth that she believed others no longer were High enough to look at her soul. That was the second biggest reason her support began to crumble, for Tealhun wasn’t the one with the Highest Channels.

Tealhun Signed to her as she rose from her seat, her movements quick and to the point “What is it?” Sounness played her part, bowing to Tealhun, showing that she believed her sister was above her. “A matter of importance, which needs your council. Uoth has been watching the proceeding outside and has witnessed movements that trouble her.”

“Then why isn’t she here?” Tealhun Signed back, and Sounness could see from the edges of her vision. That her sisters was glancing back at their Divine, barely holding her attention on the conversation.

Sounness Signed quickly, before Tealhun lost herself and ignored the talk, and Tasked her to deal with the matter. “She’s waiting in the Council Chamber, she wants to talk about it away from prying eyes.”

Sounness saw a flash of anger show itself on Tealhun face, it stayed longer than her sister would have normally allowed. “Is that so?” Tealhun Signed “More like she’s challenging me. That I come to her, instead of the reverse, how it’s supposed to be. Another display that she sees herself Worthier than I.”

Tealhun looked back at their Divine, the anger and tension working its way through her sister, dissolved. Sounness was beginning to worry as the time moved by and her sister remained still. She was about to try and reclaim Tealhun attention, but her sister finally turned back to face her. “Very well Sounness, take me to this upstart, its time I show Uoth her place.” Sounness bowed before she turned, and headed to the door listening closely to the steppes behind her.

‘My dear Tealhun, my Bedsister. How blind you have become.’ The worry, and regret of forcing this removal now washed away. If her sister was already this consumed by self-Worth, then living within a Tower would quickly make matters worse. Even as an Advisor to their Divine, the Maidens would only take so much disrespect before taking action. Tealhun with no actual support behind her would be easily dealt with. Then their Divine would act, for he cared for them, even the lowly and troublesome. He may lash out, enact judgments too harsh for the Mark made.

Tealhun followed her quickly out the Chamber, carefully closing the door behind her so not to disturb the Divine blessing. Sounness siblings hid their worries well, all neutral toned, their stances relaxed. Tealhun passed them without a glance, she may not have even noticed if they had acted oddly. No, she was focused solely on confronting Uoth and returning to the Divine as soon as possible. Sounness guided her swiftly, rushing to stay in front of Tealhun as they took the passage that led to the Council Chamber. They passed many rooms doing so, each with siblings waiting. When Sounness and Tealhun passed far enough down the hall that Tealhun couldn’t escape, they showed themselves. None used Chants to dispel noise, as all had become trained to notice that unnatural silence. So Tealhun heard the abrupt commotion behind her and turned.

Sounness did too, as she pulled out a small dagger she had hidden within a concealed pocket. Her siblings had similar tools in their hands. Tealhun didn’t have time to utter a scream, or curse, before Sounness jammed the dagger into her back, avoiding the rib cage so she could pierce one of the lungs. With Her free hand, she covered her sister's mouth and used the head as leverage to press the dagger further in. The rest of Sounness sisters joined her and began stabbing their own blades into Tealhun before she had a chance to attempt anything. Sounness kept her grip tight around her sister's mouth as she began to form muffled screams from the pain. Sounness let Mercy guide her, as she released her grip on the dagger. Moved her hands into position and jerked her sister's head. Tealhun body went limp as the sound of her neck breaking echoed.

The others pulled away, taking their daggers with them. They Chanted away the blood before sheathing them and returning the tools back into hidden pockets. Sounness would follow suit, but first, she took the moment to hold her Bedsister one last time. To try and enjoy the embrace of each other “such a waste” she said in a hushed tone, as she laid Tealhun on the floor. With the deed done others arrived carrying cloths to wrap the corpse in. They didn’t need blood dripping all over the floor again. Sounness Chanted the blood from her clothes and joined the others in cleaning the mess they had caused. Normally they would have sold the body to the Corpse Collectors, but with how things were outside that was an impossibility. Instead, Sounness watched her siblings take the body towards a room they had prepared, where they would burn the body to ash and thrown it outside.

“She really never saw it coming, did she?” Sounness turned to the voice, saw Uoth walking towards her, eyes watching the body being hovered away.

“She was quite Blind” Sounness commented

“I think it was more than that, but it doesn’t matter now,” Uoth said standing near her. “Now all that matters is our talk with Papa.” Uoth hand reached up and clasped her own. “I really hope you’ve chosen your words carefully. I rather not be thrown out and sent to the Front right before having the chance to live within a Tower.”

Sounness looked down at her Bedsister, face neutral even as worries worked its way through her. “I have words of wisdom to provide, if our Papa chooses to ignore it, there’s nothing I can do.”

Uoth made a face at her, as she patted her hand, “Not the best words to soothe my concerns, but you’ve never been the gentle sort.” Uoth began to pull her forward “Let’s get this over with, maybe if we’re lucky his anger will have him killing us. Least then we won’t be sent to deal with Nightmares. I rather not be eaten alive.” She added under her breath, as Sounness reluctantly followed along, organizing her speech one last time.

----------------------------

Dailin looked up when he heard the door close, and found he was alone for once. Tealhun had left, to his surprise, the girl had practically become his shadow, following him everywhere he went, and only left when he made her. She had even tried to sleep on the floor near his bed one night rather than leaving to the privacy of her own Chamber. She had acted like a hurt child when he told her to rest in her room. Amusingly she had tried to stay awake even though he could see she was about to fall asleep standing. He was forced to make her go to bed.

Recalling it brought back the memories of better days, with normal children not wanting to go to bed, claiming they wanted and would stay up all night. Only to fall fast asleep minutes later when he placed them in bed.

Normal days, peaceful and full of boring routines. Not like now, in a life full of oddities and a people that frightened him. More than once he’d thanked the gods he had Rune skin. The thought that nothing could harm him was very reassuring. Even though it was blatant none of these people had the slightest thought of harming him. The way the women from the other Houses acted made it clear. He could still remember the scene vividly, the room of unblinking eyes that watched his every move. All because he let his nervousness get the better of him. Had him think that Chanting a spell of warmth, he did to his children every day, was a good idea.

Sure he upped the amount of Mana involved by a large margin, he wanted the mob of strangers to like him after all. He wasn’t the best talker, and being the center of attention within a room full of strangers was not something he enjoyed or worked well under. He had been very glad he’d been wearing a mask at the time. Letting him hide his anxious, and fear that would have shown to all if his face had been bare. He knew none of them could harm him, that he could have rendered the lot into a paste within a heartbeat if he so chose. Yet the scene of a host of people watching him mutely, and still as the stone had his spine tingling and his skin crawling. He would be more careful next time, with that particular spell. It had made the whole affair rather awkward since no one was willing to speak, or couldn’t, he wasn’t sure and didn’t stay to find out. His part of the deal was done, now all he needed to do was wait for the Houses to reply. They would, as they had already told him with the Shard the Armored Chanters had provided. He’d never seen a shard so large and bearing some much information. The basics being they would do whatever was necessary to fulfill whatever counter Offer he sent.

In truth he didn’t have to demand much more, the Houses Offer was close to what he had planned. Those that had joined together to prove themselves would get rights to him. Dailin instead had changed that to his time, and that he was remaining within his own House. Plus they were to provide him an Estate to live within a Tower of his choosing. Rather straightforward, and for the women he’d seen within the Shard, not something they would object. Those women or Matriarchs Tealhun called them, had been almost as interested in him as the Heralds they’d sent to carry his Offer. Hopefully that would mean things would go smoothly, that this taxing turn of event would be behind him, and he could finally focus on improving himself.

He was quite tired of the constant sense of dread hanging over him. He was ready to spend a day or two training just to get away from the feeling. Maybe longer if he could get away with it, but with how much the Houses had lost to claim him, he had high doubts. The next couple of days, perhaps weeks would be him lay with one woman after the other. His whole body open for them to see, he was somewhat worried about that. The Hearts had done wonders for his growth, the veins growing and spreading over more of his body. More of it becoming a constant glow of light, filled to the brim with Mana ready to be used.

‘Oh well, not like they can hurt me, no matter how rough they get in the bed, they’ll be the ones to end up sore.’ A wonderful change, as he was thoroughly tired of the feeling that his member was about to fall off from overuse. Or his thighs and back were so sore that trying to stand was a test of endurance. If it wasn’t for healing spells Dailin wasn’t sure if his body would have held up. Many of the women were harsh in their movements once the passion of the act finally took them in full.

‘Praise be to Rune skin and bones.’ He thought as he got comfortable ready to take a quick nap, now that it would come easily since he didn’t have Tealhun eyes watching him.

He woke, perhaps only asleep for a few minutes, by knocking coming from the Chamber door. He’s sure it meant something, as his children loved using sound patterns to convey things. But he didn’t know any of them, as Tealhun had always been present to answer. Plus when she arrived she never bothered with knocking, but instead strode into his room as if she owned the place.

The knocking continued in a rhythmic beat, so he rose from the comforts of his kingly bed. “Come in,” he said as he walked towards the edge of his mattress, rubbing the dreariness from his eyes as he did so. When he hopped off his bed and actually turned his attention to whoever entered. He found a large portion of his children coming through the door. He stood by the rim of his bed as they moved about making room for each other. They all remained silent, their gazes downcast, they all looked anxious, to put it mildly. The last to enter shut the door softly behind him heading over with the others, as one they bowed. Then kneeled and prostrated themselves, heads lowered enough that their forehead touched the ground.

Dailin heart began to pump faster as he looked at his children. They had only done this once before, and it hadn’t even been over a week yet, so the memory was still very fresh. He plopped down on his bed, legs going numb, and waited for one them to start speaking madness.

He took a large breath, tried to remove the concern that was amassing in his chest, and failed miserably. He spoke when the silence continued to stretch on, and none of his children moved. “What have you done?” He asked, his voice mixed with anguish.

None answered, and once more the silence began to stretch. “What have you Done?!” he said again, Mana weaving into his words this time, making them echo violently around the room, making it appear as if a dozen versions of himself had spoken.

Still, none answered, but they moved, oddly, as nervousness took them. Heads rose slightly enough to turn and face one of his children in the front of the assembled group. Dailin eyes followed the looks and his gaze fell upon Sounness. She hadn’t moved, her forehead still firmly pressed against the floor.

Dailin spoke, this time his words softer, filled with that warm feeling they all loved so much. “Tell me Sounness, what have you all done?”

“It had to be.” Her voice came out low, but he heard it clearly. It was then he noticed the missing element, Tealhun should be here, speaking boldly at him. Yet she was absent, something she had never done before, as the girl saw herself as the speaker of all matters that needed to be relayed to him.

“Where is Tealhun, Sounness, where is your sister.” He asked

“She had to be” her voice uneven. “Sounness, where is she?” he said, part of him already coming to the answer that he didn’t want to hear.

“She had to be removal Father.” Said one his son’s prostrating next to Sounness. “For her poor manners, for her belief in her self-Worth, and most of all. For the many acts of brazen disrespect towards you Father.”

The words hung in the air as he attempted to refuse them, to refuse that his children would commit the act again, and so soon. “You killed her?” He finally asked, making sure what was happened was what he believed.

“Yes Father,” his son said, not a hint of emotion in the words. “We regret this had to happen now. But Tealhun behavior was getting worse.” Another voice added to his son, from one of his other daughters, smaller than the rest. The girl was positioned near Sounness to her right. “We couldn’t let the other Houses see how she treated you, lest the Houses to action of their own.” The child words stopped, as the sound of his breathing become loud enough that it couldn’t go unnoticed. The room brightened as Mana began to accelerate within him. Small discharges of light sparked across his body as he fought for calm.

‘They killed her? For speaking rudely at me?’ It was true she had a blunt tongue, but to kill her for it? ‘Madness, Madness why do you hound me!?’ the thought had him clutching his hands into fists. A large spark formed and shot off from him, striking with a large flash and producing a high note of nose as it struck a wall, leaving a scorch mark.

“Leave me.” He said, his words harsh, yet the children did not move. “Leave me!” he screamed, the room shaking, and his children flinched back. They whimpered as they hurried up and raced to the door flinging it open. Even scared for their lives, they remembered to close it. Dailin breathed in deep, forced his eyes shut as he fought to control himself.

He thought of the danger he was putting the ones he carried about, how they would get hurt if he let rash thoughts take hold. Thoughts of children littered remains displayed around him. That didn’t help, for he pictured Tealhun there, lifeless, killed by her own for being too rude. The image had him standing, his hand flexing. He needed to break something, to lash out, to give the anger an outlet. Opening his eyes and walked over to the table, he grabbed it. His fingers sinking into the metal with ease and without thinking, he threw the table. The thing was made of large slabs of solid metal, something that should have weighed hundreds of pounds. It went sailing into the air, and crashed into a wall, embedding into it.

The scene shuck him, as he saw the large cracks worm around his room from the impact. He breathed, stood straight, and placed his hands over his face. The act, which could have gone terribly wrong if it had been aimed at the door, sobered him. The anger ebbed away as grief took hold, he did his best to muffle his crying, finally turning back to his bed and burying his head into the fabric. There he laid for an hour, or two letting it all work out of his system. His children had been wise enough not to bother him. For all, he knew they could be outside his room killing each other for another slight they perceived another had committed against him.

He wouldn’t be surprised, not now, not after this. It was a problem he was forced to think about as he laid on his bed, emotionally spent. He had thought his words were enough to keep them from turning on each other, he thought wrong. For this realm was Madness, and those that belonged here mirrored it well, even his children. He would have to lay down rules, or a rule. But even then, Dailin wasn’t sure it would stop them. Yet he would try, even hopeless he would still try and bring some sense of sanity to his family. A family that was as much a danger to itself as the realm outside.

He rose once he had the will and drive to bother to do so. He summoned water from the air to wipe his face of the tears, before dispersing it back into a mist. He would remove the table in the wall later after his children had been dealt with. He knew of the pain that waiting for a judgment caused, and he felt his children had waited enough.

When he opened to the door to his chamber, he found his daughters still posted there, scared stiff when he appeared out of his room. Their faces were hung low, not even daring to look up at him. Sighing he spoke, “Bring me my children who were involved in Tealhun death.” He said, before retreating back into his room. He sat on the edge of his bed and waited. The wait wasn’t long, someone knocked on the door once before he called them in.

Even with adult bodies they still looked like the picture of worried children lining up to be spanked or punished. Teary-eyed, and flustered, posturers haggard, rather than the straight-backed demeanor they had before. The hours waiting for him to make a decision hadn’t been kind to them, and thankfully none appeared to be missing. No one else had been killed, he hoped. They prostrated themselves, and Dailin let the silence hang in the air for a while. Just as tired as they were in truth, drama such as this he had made a habit of avoiding when he could. He didn’t have the well of emotions to keep up with it.

He let out a long breath, “I should send you all to the Front that would be the correct choice of this realm, of our people. But I don’t care about that, I don’t want to be like you people. Even if it was for my benefit.” He chewed on his tongue, letting the silence reign again, already he could see his children relaxing, hoping.

“Some of you might see my decision as a reward, I advise you not to.” he said “Since all of you seem to think you know what’s best for me and my House, you all will be in control of maintaining order. Sounness, and the son and daughter that spoke to me before, you three will be my new Advisors. You three are in charge of all the rest and to deal with the Many Houses that will soon be heckling me to death with decisions and requests.” He watched as they began to shuffle, glancing at each other, the stress hovering over them gone. All of them saw it as a reward, somehow oblivious to the fact that they now will be the ones with targets on their back. The next group of people others would claim were unworthy of their roles and had to be removed.

He raised his voice to bring their attention back to him, once his saw daughters starting to wiggle fingers at each other. “You're also to inform the rest of the family and those that join my House of this new rule.” They stilled, his son’s ears rigid to hear him clearly. “The next time a member of my House kills one another, all those involved will be cast out, removed from my family, forever.” The last word echoed in the air, as he poured Mana into it. His son's ears sagged instantly, people began to shake, to worry. ‘Yes, I bet quite of few of you had plans already in place to remove others. Let’s see how well that goes now.’

“You’re all dismissed, except for my three Advisors, we have things to discuss.” The children rose, gazes still on the floor, but he could still see some of their eyes. They were wide and lost in thought, some hugged themselves as they marched out the door to tell the others of his rule. To tell many that their plans were ruined. His gaze fell to the three remaining in his presence as the door shut.

“Though it pains me to admit it, I have to ask for your names.” He had too many children even after the Faceless murder spree, that and most he rare saw, always busy running errands or taking care of the Estate.

“Vollow,” his son said, bowing to him “It's expected that you do not know us, Father, we weren’t Worthy enough for such attention.” Dailin rolled his eyes, and turned to stare at the other child, probably the smallest of his daughters.

He had thought Sounness shy, but this one was half hidden behind Vollow, face lowered and hair hanging over it so he couldn’t see. “Uoth,” she said in a soft whisper, and that was all he got out of her. ‘Good, good one of my children that isn’t enjoying this, actually seeing it as a punishment.’ He thought as he turned his attention to Sounness. She stood frozen in place, head lowed like the other two. Arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes looked very empty, more than usual. He had once thought she was emptied headed when he first met her. But with how Tealhun relied on her more than anyone he knew that wasn’t the case.

“I'm honestly surprised you’re involved in this Sounness, you and Tealhun seemed so close.” He said, the words got movement out of her, lips pressing thin, her grip on herself tightening.

“We were” she finally spoke. He hummed “And yet here you are, why?”

“For you, for your benf-“

“Don’t finish that sentence.” He said interrupting her, “Let’s not get my anger going again.” She weakly nodded at him, unlike Tealhun, Sounness never once questioned him, even if she perhaps disagreed. “We have a great deal to discuss my dear children, for unlike you, the death of my blood causes me great pain. No matter the monsters you all are, I still care, and I want you three to help me keep your brother and sisters safe.”