Dailin lounged lazily on a couch that to him had far too decorative cushions. The same could go for the rest of interior of the equivalent of a stagecoach he was being transported in. The floor was layered with the softest fabric he’d ever felt and made his feet tingle. The walls had elaborate paintings of lush forests. The ceiling was the standard glass art, pushed to the extreme, with how detailed it was to form the image of a divine looking Chanter surrounded by kneeling people. This art made those lining his previous estate look novice. If he cared for his image, Dailin would have felt embarrassed to call the place his home. But he didn’t and found the eye-popping art unneeded and a waste of people’s time. Sure he didn’t want to look at greystone all the time, but the amount of effort these people were putting into art, was ridiculous. Plus it wasn’t the wisest way to use their time when they had a horde of hungrily beasts outside aiming to eat them all.

It would be so easy to forget about that, the illusion of safety the Wards provided was skillful. Made more so with the sweet talking it did always, subtle there whispering in everyone's ears. But if one had nothing on their mind and wanted absolute quiet, the words became noticeable. Words of protection, lies that he was safe and that nothing could ever get to him. It had been a while since he heard it so clearly, his home didn’t have Wards and it been months since he'd been in the Sanctum tunnels. So when he got into the stagecoach, with every spot of it covered in Wards, he noticed the song it spun instantly.

He was sure all that lived in this city was under the sway of that hymn. Most eager to accept the false truths, while the less observant likely never noticed and merely feel under the spell of the Wards by happenstance. Even his children were probably under its effects, they’d been born into it that constant low buzz of chatter.

He had pondered how many of them would notice something was missing the moment they happened to step outside, and away from any nearby Wards. Dailin couldn’t claim he was better than everyone else, that he was immune. No, if it wasn’t for the dread hounding him, he would have perhaps let himself be blinded for a time. Something that was impossible now, even if he had tried, for not long ago he felt the weight of the emotion increase. A very small increase but it was there, and oh did it have him worried. He was ready for this whole affair with Maidens to be done with so he could start consuming Hearts as fast as he could. But for now, he had to wait, to hold back his instinct with simple trances.

The Heralds had taken near a day to return with their answer. Not surprising, they came back accepting his Offer wholeheartedly, even with extra bonuses added in. At the time it left him with only one matter left to settle. Where was he going to be housed? There was seven Towers he could technically choose from. All housed inside the first tier, encircled by lesser buildings that held the people Worthy to be in that tier, but not enough to be allowed in a Tower. The Heralds provided a Shard, not as large as the first one, but still, it held volumes of knowledge within. The names of the Towers had been provide, with a list of the names of the Houses that were held within and their ranking amongst the individual families in the complex. Though there was seven, only four qualified for him to choose from. The remaining three didn’t hold any of the Houses that had won the right to make a deal with him. So he doubted they had the pull to get him in, nor would be happy if he chose one of those three to be his home. For the remaining four it was an easy pick. The Tower Phian held the most Houses allied with him and would be the most secure from rival Houses trying to get to him. He hoped it would help keep the peace. That any daring House might have second thoughts causing a scene or, gods forbid, another skirmish like before. If there was already a large defense force surrounding his home.

he also hoped his new home would be in a secure location, somewhere deep within the building that would be harder to get to. Towers were massive constructs, essentially a tub starting at the bottom of the Sanctum and going all the way up connecting with the ceiling. He wasn’t sure on the dimension on the inside, but it appeared from the knowledge he’d been provided. The Tower was equal to a small closed off city, mostly self-sufficient in that didn't need food transported in. Only raw materials to craft weapons, armor, and other ‘High goods’, as they called them.

To him, it sounded like a hive of uppity people he best not interact with. He didn’t need a war starting between Houses because he didn’t show enough respect. Didn’t grovel enough to someone more Worthy than him. It would be quite the blunder on his part if he made the same mistake as his daughter Tealhun.

‘Oh, Tealhun, how badly I failed you.’ It still stung, more than the loss of his unborn children, for he had never seen them. More than the loss of his Maidens, for they had their own motivation to be near him, to use him. Tealhun didn’t, her only goal was to make him happy, make life easier for him.

‘I thought I had time.’ Thought the many Tasks would keep everyone busy enough they wouldn’t murder each other. Thought they cared enough not to go against him again. Thought everyone was Worthy enough to be with him. Wrong on all levels, enough that he took Sounness to a training Heart, had her share the knowledge of why they killed Tealhun.

A large part of him wished he hadn’t, the rest wished he done it sooner. For it revealed a very big disconnect between him and his children’s thinking. Namely, they didn’t care about one another, didn’t love, or have a concept of it like he did. It was more of something highly prized to be treated carefully and protected an important tool. Tealhun was acting in a way that was unfit for her role, and to them putting the prized object at risk. She was to advise him, guide him, but gently, full of sweet words and subtle prodding’s. Not blatantly telling him no, or plainly stating why what he wanted couldn’t be done, or would cause trouble. The way he liked it, simple and to the point.

The Vail didn’t, even if he wished something done that would cause harm to them, they were to follow through with it. For he was Worthy, Higher than them, had the blessing of the Giver. In their eyes, he was some sort of divine saint. Sure they’d asked questions, be kind in trying to get him to understand that what he wanted might cause issues. But at the end of the day, they would still follow his order. Unlike Tealhun, who during their finally two days with each other, and begun to simply tell him no. He would ask why and she would tell him. When he pushed the matter she would stand her ground and refuse to obey, claiming it was for his betterment if he just listened to her.

Maybe it was, but not for her. Such behavior should have been punished long before it got to the point she needed to be removed. At least that was what Sounness knowledge showed him. All he would have needed to be done was remove her from her Title for a while. Have her away from him, a simple punishment that would have caused Tealhun to correct herself.

Instead he accepted the behavior, and signed her doom. Never again. He wouldn’t let the same mistake happen twice, not like his three new Advisors would anyway. They were very formal, all about the customs, and showing the proper respect. Nothing he was used to, family had always been a sanctuary from the rules, no matter the life. Where people could act their true selves with their loved ones without worry of punishment. Speak the truth, air out grievances, or have a shoulder to cry on.

Not here, not in this realm, family wasn’t a close bonded group of people. Here it was just a clan of slightly more connected individuals working together to survive or rise higher in the structure of this cruel society. Family, House, the people within were still seen in the same way, tools. Better cared for tools, but still tools, only there to help each other, or one person to rise higher. That was how Sounness saw it, what the information passed down to her, essentially taught. He would have to see the knowledge others produced to be sure it was a uniform concept, the common sense of this realm. If it was, he would have to adhere to it to the best of his abilities. As he’d done before, but this one would take a little more getting used to.

He had thought skipping childhood was a boon, now he was realizing that it was a harsh curse. Childhood provided the time to slowly learn the ways of a new people. Enabling him to spend his days watching individuals, learning things casually, and being taught the customs from parents who would make sure he understood the culture. Or at least punish him if he did something against the norm.

He missed all that, and the knowledge Aethin had passed down to him was full of holes. Like how to run a House, or how to deal with rivaling women, and coups. Dailin wondered if it was because Aethin didn’t know himself, or never thought he would need that kind of information.

Dailin let out a groan of frustration. He could have had his Maidens bestow him the knowledge through a Heart. That would have solved many of his misunderstandings, but instead, he let himself be distracted by the many comforts a Founder brought. It’s all he wants, all he had mind to aim for when he was marching in the tunnels, running for safety.

A life of comfort, he had it, then things got complicated. The children arrived and he attempted to be s Father they would love. Would know they could come to him in times of need. Then his instincts started biting hard, kept hounding him with dread.

He sighed as leaned forward and messed with his hair. “How’d everything become such a mess?” He knew the answer as he traced a finger along a vein of Mana on his arm. Before everyone ignored him for the most part, anyone of real import did anyways, not now. Now he had the eyes of those on High, making havoc, turning his life into a stress filled one. Forcing him to see he wasn’t as free as he thought.

It had been a very stressful week, and with the start of the new, he hoped, prayed that things would begin to slow. Once the new Maidens arrived, and the flood of new servants that will likely accompany them. Maybe things will settle back to simple routines, give him time to think things through. His three Advisors would help, he would make them, but they wouldn’t need the encouragement.

Not with the information Sounness had shown, the new arrivals would do their best to climb the ranks. Work their way towards him, or aim to shape his Houses into something they deemed correct. They may even delve into fighting, try assassinating one another. He would make sure all knew his House new rule. He wouldn’t hesitate to start exiling the newcomers, regardless of their Worth.

For if he didn’t, he could see another purge happening. Maybe not at first, perhaps after a few children had been born and raised, matured enough they could start planning. If they had his Rune skin, it would be only be a matter of time. A daring individual, or a group would eventually attempt something, see if his rule would be carried out.

He would, no matter the people that would be in the crossfire. For if they saw his rule didn’t apply, things could get out of hand quick. It wouldn’t surprise him if he found the majority of his House dead again. The Perpetrates prostrating themselves, spinning lies that it was for him. That he was better off now with them in charge making all the decisions.

It had seemed so easy at first. Loves running the House, his only real responsibility laying with women they deemed Worthy for him. His children raised within the safe confines of a Sanctum.

He could go back to that, just ignore the power struggles going on around him, and spend his days blissfully unaware. His only burden would be the weight of dread his instinct placed on him, as something life threating was either growing or nearing.

It was tempting, the Wards song would play to his liking, cover his eyes, and he would ignore everything. Everything would be right again, just look away and-

Dailin swatted the thought away as his instinct press down on him. Something was a danger to his life, the Nightmares outside were still a threat. His instinct was making that abundantly clear. So for the sake of removing this dread, he would try, actually put effort into making his House, of raising his kids.

For something had gone terribly wrong, this society was odd, but for his children to act in such a manner. To kill their mothers, kill servants who'd done nothing wrong save for not being Worthy enough. Then to kill one of their own for being too rude. No, something wasn’t right, people, children couldn’t naturally be that cruel, even with wicked souls. He prayed for it not to be.

When matters were done, his family settled in their new Estate he would have a long talk with his Advisors, have them describe their raising, their training. For even though he was their Father and they called him such, he hadn’t been much of one. He hadn’t been the one to raise them, not when they had been child size. His time with them had always been relatively short, before either he or they had been whisked away. He would do better this time, would try one last time to make his family an actual family. Have children worth protecting, and hopefully have children he could trust with his secret.

He would need help when the Nightmares came, having children like him would be a godsend. His current children couldn’t be trusted, Dailin had an inkling of a thought they would kill him too. If they ever got stronger than him, saw themselves Worthier than him. Then he would have to follow the rules of this society. A far harsher lot of rules rather the ones he went about obeying when he was amongst the lowly. Who’s only real thought was finding work and building up enough Worth to be allowed to stay with Sanctum walls.

More important than ever now, with the Nightmares back in full swing, swarming every tunnel out there. He was relieved his rise had happened before those things had returned. Fights against them, depending on the Taskmaster, was becoming a quick trip to death, rather than a job to earn Worth.

The Shards, now old since his children hadn’t had the time to get current ones, showed the Hosts were inflicting a great deal of damage. Hundreds of the beasts slain, yet only more came. Larger than before, and more ravenous. Though he prayed the day would never come, he was always awaiting words to come from the outer tier that the Wards were aglow with warning. Showing the beasts were outside hammering at the walls. He hoped that outcome was far off in the future, where he’d be better off to handle it or run. With his power, his Worth, he could flee to another Sanctum, to one of the Higher ones. Both figuratively and literal, as it was high above them, where even more Worthy stayed, and did who knows what. Probably backstabbing each other like those in this Sanctum.

He pulled himself back to the present, away from future problems. He had enough of those already. He’d been in the chariot for hours now, encased in a protective bubble more for the people outside rather than his benefit. The returning Shard from the Matriarchs held as they put it, advice. Rather than what it clearly was, instructions. Most involving he stay out of sight, while everyone else dealt with moving his items to his new home. He had no qualms with the instructions, as it gave him the time to relax. However as the hours ticked by, he was growing more anxious. The floating room he was in didn’t have any means for him to check how things were progressing. Sure there was a door, which led to a closets room that then opened to the outside. But that would draw attention, he wanted to watch things secretly. Something the designers of the room and failed to consider.

‘Inconvenient.’ He thought as he leaned back into the couch. Anything could be going on, the caravan under attack, or his House. The thought didn’t raise as much concern as it should. The sting of what half his remaining family had done, was still potent. He cared for them, he always would, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t thinning. If it had been a handful he would have banished them right then and there. But with so many taking part? That act would have left him little in the way of a House. Too few to help him move his House in a direction he wanted, without completely relying on the new wave of strangers that were soon going to be filling his ranks. He prayed his rule would keep order, at least for a short time, long enough his children could get their bearings.

It was going to be an abrupt shift, going from the second tier to where the Chosen stayed. There wasn’t any place safer he could go in the city, at least from Nightmares. He’d soon be at the city’s heart, three layers of Warded spheres surrounding him, then another layer once he was within a Tower. It would be a long time before any form of Nightmare got to him. He would know well in advance whether he should flee or not.

A high note of a bell rung, the sound pitching his ears. Someone had opened the first door, so Dailin grabbed and put his mask back on, followed with his gloves. There was a knock on the door as he did so, and he only spoke after every part of his skin was concealed. “Come in,” he said in a commanding but kind tone. It was his son Vollow who entered, rather than Sounness, which was becoming a common occurrence.

The boy bowed to him, and even when he straightened his head remained focused to the ground. “Father, Sounness asked that I inform you our voyage is almost at an end." He bowed again “Apologies Father for the long trip, the passages have been very congested.”

“Its fine,” he said, “Have there been any attacks, any attempts to claim me?”

“No Father” his boy answered “There have been Watchers, and it’s suspected if our caravan hadn’t been so large, there may have been an attempt. But for now they remain distant, Uoth is of the mind they are the reason for the volume of people in our way. A small slight against the joined Houses, and a hope the long trip will make you discontent.”

‘How shallow do these people think I am?’ Dailin thought.

Maybe they were right to, maybe that was how most within a Tower were, spoiled to the core, their every need filled within moments. “Tell the others there is no need to worry, I’m content, and can wait as long as needed for us to be situated in our new Estate.”

“They will be relieved to hear such Father.” There was the slightest look up towards his locating before Vollow head tipped back down “They also requested I ask you if you need for anything, food? Shards? The Houses provided us some recent ones.”

Dailin ears shifted under the heavy fabric that held them down. “Shards would be nice.” He looked over to his trays that once been piled with refreshments. “And another tray or two.”

“As you wish Father,” his son said bowing slightly.

“That will be all,” he said, “Unless there are matters that need to be addressed?”

His son shook his head, “Not now.” With that answer Dailin waved him away, his son quickly left, and as always he shut the door behind him, softy. The bell chimed again, to Dailin annoyance as his son departed the carriage. He barely thought before a small portion of Mana soothed his ears of the pain.

Something he had to do again minutes later as it rang once more, followed with a knock. Two of his daughters entered, neither of which he knew by name nor face. He only knew they were his by the mirroring veins that marked their faces, and hands. They never said a word as they placed trays of food by his side, and handed over a cloth full of Shards. They bowed as they left, and Dailin nodded to them out of habit. The moment the door closed he removed his gloves and the mask. He hovered one of the trays of food closer to him, indulging once more in stress eating.

It was a nice distraction as he entered his trance, and focused Mana into his veins. He woke from it only after his hand failed to find another morsel of fruit. Its then he noticed the newly arrived trays were bare. He grunted at the sight, moved the plates away from him. He piled them on top of each other with the rest, as he summoned water to clean his hands. A wave and the defiled liquid vanished as he turned his attention to the sack by his side.

The Shards within were comically small compared to the ones the Houses had delivered their greetings in. Easily fitting in the palm of his hand, the scenes in these would be short, but also to the point. He shifted his conciseness to it, the realm around him dissolving away as a new one took its place. The walls of stone were even, smooth, but bare of any Wards, he was in a line marching with men. All were Chanters and not the best off ones. He was sure of that with how dull there veins were. It was hard to believe that he had been like them not so long ago. Not even a year, but it was getting close, what would he be like in another year? Or two? A decade from now? Maybe all his problems would be solved by then, the threat his Instinct warned about gone, removed by someone high up in the chain of this civilization.

The men around him were quiet, no one spoke as everyone was focused on reaching some destination. A destination that he could tell none wanted to head towards, they were nervous, the stone around them shook, and cracks wormed their way across the rock. He could feel the vibrations of battle under his feet, each step bringing him closer to the source of the violence. Then the shaking increased rapidly, bits of stone falling from above and the sides. Ahead stone shattered and sprayed outward striking people caught unaware. The scene became smudged as the Maker of the memory vision blurred from the disorder. When it became clear a new tunnel had been made, large enough to be a small cavern in size and width. The people who’d been farther ahead of them were all gone. Dailin stopped time, reversed it right before the attack, and restarted time at a crawl. He watched the stone warp and be pushed aside as a large object came rolling through. He saw people be squashed underneath the bulk as it passed, he sped up time to remove the image. During the slow reenactment of the memory, he couldn’t make out the creature. The tunnel only allowed a very small portion of it to be seen. But by the size, he knew it to be another variety of Ancient.

He returned time back to the original point he been at and had it carry on at normal speed. People screamed as they pushed each other back, away from the new Nightmare made tunnel. A reasonable action, as soon after the Ancient had passed a tide of Nightmares came surging through. The creatures screeched, probably in delight, when the beasts caught sight of the Host. They charged and the Chanters around him fired with abandon. Wind mostly, with an adding of stonework, it pulverized the beasts rushing them. Their remains flung back to collide with the wall of shells and claws, it didn’t slow the tide. The beasts had enough numbers to push against the Chants, slowly getting closer to the Chanters.

The Weaver of this vision turned and ran, leaving behind battlemates that very much needed the help. The vision faded out soon after returning him to the darkness of his closed eyes. He didn’t bother opening them as he placed another Shard in his palm and connected to it. Followed by more as he watched each short skirmish with Nightmares. After a few of the visions, he finally noticed he was in a mining site. Scenes showed Chanters walking by discarded equipment where it had been left abandoned in haste. He could tell from the way the tools were lying on the ground, it had all be dropped or thrown as people left. What they had been mining had been of interest, metals, eye-catching gems that sparked with a glow that made him want to grab one. But what really caught his attention was the glowing and at times pulsing crystal lines that zigged zagged down in the shape of lightning. He knew even from a distance that it was Mana of a sort, one condensed into a physical form. The pulsing gave it away, and how people began to breathe in deeper, subconscious noticing the uptick of Mana in the air. Strangely the people, even the person he was living the scene through, passed by the tantalizing structures without a second glance.

All of them did, from every scene, they ignored the crystals that would have been of great aid to them. For Dailin was sure that he could have absorbed the Mana like any other. It would have been the same as draining a Heart, the structure and color was similar. The main difference was Hearts and Shards were covered in a layer of Wards.

‘So they have sites where they can mine condensed Mana.’ Plus other things but he saw that substance as the most important. It would be horrible to lose access to such a place, and from the Shards, others agreed. Every Shard given to him had Chanters and Guards fighting to retake or hold mining shafts. They weren’t doing that well either, and not for a lack of trying, especially the Guards. Those sent just didn’t have the strength to accomplish the Task assigned to them, and in Dailin opinion not geared for it either. One would think that such a place would garner the need to send Chanters in Warded Armor suits.

‘They sent seven to claim me for gods sakes, I’m sure they could spare one to clear Nightmares.’ Unless he was more variable than he ever considered, more valuable than a whole mining network full of valuable goods.

Dailin placed the viewed Shards back in the sack they had come in and placed them on the small stand. Outside was looking more out of control with each passing day, or so it appeared. His children made an effort to find those that contained images of Ancients in them. So he could be seeing the worst events happening outside, and not as common as the group of Shards made it appear. Nor was there a means for him to actually know the date these visions had taken place. His children told him they were recent, and that was basically it, which meant they could be only a day old, or weeks. He also didn’t know where the scenes were happening in regards to his location. It could be near his home Sanctum or far off down below somewhere near a large Settlement.

Either case it didn’t matter, he knew from his instinct that things were growing worse, and the Shards were showing that trend. But that was a problem for another day, hopefully far off as he had enough items on his plate to deal with. Such as the lengthy list of people who were going to be joining his family.

He allowed one Matriarch from each House to be allowed to join him if they wished to. Accompanied with no more than five daughters they thought Worthy to become part of his House. It also included servants, but Tealhun hadn’t told him a need for a limit on those. It was going to be a mob though whether they brought a few Servants or not. This collection of Houses was ten in total. Sixty new Maidens if each House brought the maximum number. He would never remember all the names, he never even got near memorizing the last bunch of Maidens he had. It was also just the start, the number would grow if he didn’t set a cap. He was because sixty wives was well beyond anything he ever wanted.

‘This Estate they provided me better be large.’ If not it wouldn’t be long before he had a repeat of people sleeping in hallways. Something that might not go over well, given the type of people he was going to have living in said halls. Plus with how prized the space within a Tower was, he could foresee any deal to get more, pricey and involving him selling his time to the highest bidder. Something he wouldn’t be all that surprised if the Houses allied with him had planned for. Was going to use against him so he would remain theirs for a very long time.

‘What’s a couple more years added on to a decade anyway?’ He didn't have plans to go anywhere. As long as the Houses kept their word and defended his House they could have as much time as they wanted if it kept the peace. Kept his future children from harm and h-

The bell rang again, getting a disgruntled hiss out of him as the sound stung his ears. He didn’t wait for the knock and called out to the individual behind the down to enter, as he grabbed his mask and gloves.

Vollow had returned and bowed “We have arrived Father, many apologies for the wait, the rival Houses performed many events to delay us.”

Dailin rose waving his son words away “Like I said, its fine, and better this way. They spent themselves on things that matter little, rather than sending a force against the Caravan.”

“Of course Father,” his son said standing straight, “The path into the Tower has been prepared, and your Chosen stand ready to guide you.”

Dailin waved the boy on, “Then let’s be done with it before something unpleasant happens.”

They exited the Carriage and Dailin looked upon a district decorated in a way that appeared a festival or parade was about to take place. Crowds lined the paths that converged on the one he was to walk. The onlookers were blocked by lines of Guards encased in armed suits, and powerful looking Chanters. Dailin eyebrows rose behind his mask as he looked down and found the section of street he was going to walk on had been coved in a carpet that led to the Tower Gate. His head unconsciously tilted back to follow the Tower up as it rose all the way to the roof of the dome. It made him feel like an insect, and if he’d seen this complex in a different realm he would have marveled at how it had been constructed. But here with Mana at his call, he could have made the structure by himself. No, what really had his interest was the Wards that covered ever morsel of the Tower. Patterns within patterns, all woven together just right that everything was a uniform shape, every circle was perfectly oval, the triangles evenly sided. The framework looked far more complex than the ones on the dome walls.

‘They must have taken their time with this, if they were already housed within a Warded area they would have had the luxury of safety as they worked.’ He thought as his Chosen sons, encircled him, guiding him done the gilded path. A sea of people was fighting to watch him embark, and in return for that eagerness, they got shoved back hard by the Guards. His worries that someone might attack or try to carry him off diminished. Those around all had clear Mana veins, any assault on such a crowd would be swiftly dealt with. Not to mention the debt that would be incurred for killing the people here.

The walk to the Gate was short, as the Carriage had been parked close. It may even have been set right next to the door if it wasn’t for the small hill of stairs that led up to it. He was relieved once he was through the entrance and the horde of eyes that had been watching him had been blocked. The scene outside was swiftly forgotten to him as he looked at the lobby he entered. Every surface was covered in Wards, which was in turned mostly hidden behind numerable decorations. Those that called this place home, had apparently decided that everything had to have some form of decor. Walls covered in varying art, the floor endowed with a richly patterned rug. The fabric was the same stuff in the Carriage, each step in the material was soothing. The ceiling had glass art, but so detailed with mixing colored pieces that it made for a very realistic image of a dream-filled landscape.

He would have liked the opportunity to stay and enjoy the scene, but his entourage never slowed in their strides. Sure he could have stopped dead, and those around him would have come to a halt. But seeing how eager they were to get him to his destination he behaved. Once this whole affair was done he would have the time to visit this place again.

Now pulled from the distracting displays he paid attention to the host of people around him. More Chanters and Guards, armored head to toe, and standing vigil as he was guided past. Ahead women appeared, scantily clad, and approached his sons. They whispered words to them and soon his Chosen followed the women. The guides took them deeper into the complex, a literal maze of turning tunnels and closed off doors. Symbols hovered over said Gates, each with a name written on them. ‘So that’s how they keep track of which House is where.’

Though the Matriarch said he be provided an Estate, it wasn’t actually such, merely a number of rooms connected to each other that had been made ready to hold his family. Rooms that had numerous doors that led to areas that weren’t under his name. He assumed they would be locked, or obstructed, so someone couldn’t just walk into his new Estate without being noticed. The doors were all Warded, so breaking through them was unlikely unless it was a fully committed assault.

They walked for what felt near half an hour before they finally arrived at a door that beared his House name. The door was already open, and the guides parted to the sides bowing slightly as his group passed them and entered into his Estate.

It was in turmoil, but not the bad kind, women were racing everywhere unpacking items they had brought from his previous home. All of whom stopped what they were doing the moment he entered and bowed to him. None of the women were his daughters, they appeared to be his new Servants, for they were drabbed in mundane clothing. It was high-quality to be fair, but compared to the people he recently seen it wasn’t something the High would be caught wearing. Also, their veins weren’t as vivid as the Chanters he’d passed.

There were many others like them as he walked through his new home, all busy organizing the Estate with the help of his daughters who were bossing the Servants around. They appeared happy, glad they had others to do the errands for them once more.

Where he went the work would come to a halt, as Servants and daughters alike would bow to him as he passed. This continued all the way until he finally reached his room if it could be called that. It could have been a House considering the size of it, with its high ceiling. Made more imposing since the pathways getting here had low hanging ones. As he glanced about he saw the left side of his room was made up of a large garden with a broad range of plants growing within. Some he recognized but most he did not, and many of the plants had glowing flowers ranging in colors that added a nice contrast to his room. To his right, there were two doors, one he could easily guess being his wardrobe.

His Chosen dispersed from him as he walked forward, all of them leaving save for Vollow. “If there is anything you need Father all you need to do is press one of the plates and a Servant will come.” His son pointed to said items, each spread out around the room walls.

“How convenient,” he said as he looked about the Chamber.

“As it should be Father, for someone such as yourself.” His son said.

Dailin hummed as he turned to face him. “You may leave Vollow, I’m sure all of you have many Tasks needing attention. I’ll call for you and the other two to discuss matters once things are less unsettled.”

“Of course,” Vollow said, “Some of your Chosen will be nearby if you require them, till then I await your call.” Dailin nodded to his son as he turned and closed to the door gently behind him. Not that it was needed, Dailin could see it had padded edges. Even slammed shut it wouldn’t make much noise, or damage the door.

Dailin took the mask off that was beginning to become suffocating, then the gloves. He would wear something more comfortable later once things were put in place, and there wasn’t a risk of someone outside seeing him.

He took the time to look at his room more thoroughly. Near the garden was a door, when opened he found a small kitchen laid within. He gave a low chuckle “I can finally cook my own food.” A wonderful change, though he didn’t mind eating raw vegetables, he much performed them cooked and spiced. The other side of his room had as he suspected a wardrobe, an extremely unnecessarily large one, already filled to the brim with clothing. He wasn’t sure if it had come from his Estate or had been given to him, but regardless he would never wear all of them, even with decades of time.

The other door had been a magnificent surprise, as it opened into a decent sized bath and shower area. “Finally, some privacy.” He would be free to wash without his daughters trying to sneak in to help. Something that had taken far longer than he liked to get through their skulls he didn’t want them touching him while he was nude.

He moved from the scene and closed the door to stop the temptation. He longed to indulge in a bath now but knew better not to do so. There was no telling when someone was going to arrive asking for his time. Instead, he headed over to his bed. The mattress was triple the size of the old one, taking up a good portion of his room. It was rather ridiculous, and the sheets, which could have been hug as wall curtains. He at first didn’t understand why it was so large until he thought of his Loves. That’s when the picture of Maidens entered his mind. He wondered if all sixty of them would want to sleep with him at the same time. ‘That would call for a bed such as this.’

He sighed as he turned from the mattress, his eyes focusing on the nearby table that was placed a few steps away from his bed. It was made of various precious metals as his old one, but this new one was more appealing and had far more detailed work done it. There were trays with lids placed on top of it. He gave a gasp when he removed one and found it piled with Hearts. So many Hearts.

“Quite the gift,” he said in an awed tone as he removed the other lids. Only one didn’t have Hearts hidden underneath, instead, it had Shards differing in size. He grabbed the largest one and took a seat. It looked similar to those the Matriarchs had provided him before, so he peeked inside it first.

“Greetings Chosen one,” Said one of the Matriarchs facing a mirror wall, flanked by an assortment of others. “Your children spoke of the burden the Givers blessings can be at times, of the need for souls. We humbly Offer these Hearts to you for accepting us, seeing us Worthy of your Divinity. We also provided visions that you have a desired to see.” The words had Dailin stopped the message, as pulled his awareness from the Shard and grabbed a smaller one.

Inside showed what he witnessed before, Chanters fighting to retake mines, at first anyway. Perhaps that was to give him context of where this was happening, for the rest of it, was a collection of scenes that showed Ancients. None of it was long, but it did give detailed looks at the beasts. He felt pity for the people that were facing those, especially the Guards. These Ancients made the one he faced with Aethin look like a child. Both in size and intimidation. Though each one was differently shaped they all were covered in slabs of shells with Runes lining them. Not as detailed nor vivid as his, but still similar.

He opened his eyes, the images making him more aware of the dread that hovered over him and looked at the piles of Hearts.

‘Blessings to the gods’ he thought as he grabbed one ‘For this bounty.’