The kingdom of Mathas was ruled by a rather young king. King Nathaniel had barely turned twenty and had taken the throne after his father’s abrupt death. Despite his age, though, his wisdom was beyond his years.

That shrewdness could be attributed to the Head Royal Court Magician who had tutored him while he was a child. She had disappeared for a few years, claiming that she was going to study on how to improve her magic. She had been a young talent with capabilities that exceeded what humans were capable of... no one understood what she could have possible improved.

And now she was here, once again, standing in front of him. Even though she had aged from her teenage years and blossomed into a beautiful woman, and he had no doubt in his heart that it was her.

“Adelia,” he breathed, his blue eyes filling up with recognition.

Mae chuckled. “My, my, Nathaniel, you’ve grown up rather well.” Mae covered her mouth. “No, should I say King Nathaniel?”

Nathaniel smiled weakly. “Being called that by you... There’s no need. We’re friends.”

She stared at him for a count. “Yes, that’s right.”

Nathaniel finally addressed Mae’s entourage. In his eyes, all of them seemed to be amazing people. “Who are they?”

“My friends, of course. I met them while out on my journey,” the lie slid smoothly off of Mae’s tongue. “Ah, I shall introduce them to you. She gestured to Xaltiq first. “This is Xaltiq, his magic--dare I say--surpasses my own.” It wasn’t a lie. She was far more suited for physical contact than a battle of spells. “Tear of the Moon Goddess, a magic archer.” She paused at Erebus, her expression wavering. “This person is Erebus... he is nothing short of amazing.”

Nathaniel looked at them all, trying to comprehend how powerful the people in front of him were.

Then he noticed something, Erebus was staring him. It was as if he was looking but not seeing anything. It were so void of emotion or purpose, King Nathaniel felt as if he was looking at a statue. But even statues were sculpted with some sort of feeling, this man had none.

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Nathaniel stammered, unnerved by Erebus’ gaze. He shifted his gaze to Tear, who was easy on the eyes and didn’t scare him. “About your accommodations, since it’s on such a short notice.”

“Ah, about that, we won’t be staying for long.” Mae bowed her head slightly. “I just came to see an old friend.”

Nathaniel’s heart clenched. She wasn’t staying? He had waited for so long for her to come back. He had worked so hard... And she wasn’t going to stay, not even for one night? “No, you can’t--It wouldn’t be a problem for you to be here for a few days.”

“I haven’t finished my studies,” she argued.

Xaltiq watched Mae and Nathaniel go back and forth. What an excellent actress, he thought. Even he almost believed that she was a magical genius in search of even greater knowledge. He wondered how she was able to keep up with the lies she told. Did it weigh on her conscious? It probably didn’t. In the first place, Mae was skilled at fulfilling any role given to her.

Her intelligence wasn’t a ruse though. He had heard that she was the one who had discovered the truth behind the magic stone scandal.

And Nathaniel’s clear belief in her abilities... was she actually a reliable person?

In front of him, Mae had paraded herself as a drunkard. Then again, she had defeated Satan rather quickly. And her true rotten personality would show itself sometimes when she spoke, he felt as if she was even more heartless than Erebus at points.

“Fine!” Mae finally gave in, though, she had intended to stay from the start. “Is everyone all right with it?”

Xaltiq made a face. Did he even have a choice in the matter? He knew that the question was pointed at Erebus.

The dragon scratched his head and hummed. “Well, whatever. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

Tear spoke up, “If Lo--Erebus doesn’t care, then I don’t care either!”

Xaltiq stayed quiet. There was no point in him even bothering to input.

“Then... I guess we’ll be here for a day or two,” Mae informed Nathaniel.

Nathaniel restrained himself from sighing and leaning back in relief. “I will make sure that you all have a room to sleep in during your stay. And promptly, of course.”

“Ah, you’re so kind...” Mae drawled. “But, we were going to stay at my estate.”

His face fell momentarily. “Oh.”

“I’ll be sure to come and visit you everyday. Mm, perhaps I’ll teach you a few things.”

A smile twitched at his lips. The prospect of being with her after all these years was certainly appealing. “Yes, I would certainly welcome that. These teachers I’ve had have all been subpar in comparison to you.”

She laughed, the sound reminding him of the entrancing tolls of bells. “Surely, you’re flattering me.”

“I’m not,” Nathaniel argued. “You are a truly gifted teacher.”

“Well, having a wonderful student certainly helps.”

He was, quite obviously, flattered by her compliments. “Are you hungry? I can a--I’ll order the chefs to make us a splendid feast.”

Erebus clicked his tongue, an annoyed expression crossing his features.

“Hmm?” Nathaniel blinked. “Is there a problem?”

“Nothing that you can fix,” came the smooth answer.

He leaned back, slightly offended by Erebus’ words. “I--”

Erebus turned to Mae and said, “I’m bored so I’m leaving. Contact me when something interesting happens. Tear, come with me. Xaltiq you stay here too.”

...

“Humans are no good,” Erebus told Tear as he gazed out at the scenery before them. They stood on top of one of the buildings in the city, the one that offered the best vantage point. “Too boring.”

“I agree, Lord Erebus.”

“It’d be fun if everyone decided to cut loose,” Erebus lamented, his voice filled with true grief.

“That’d be chaotic,” Tear remarked with a huff.

“Exactly.” Erebus glared at the throngs of people in the street. “Laws, moral code, human rights... Their stiffness almost rivals the Dragon Council.” He crouched down, resting his face on his palm. “Bo-ring.”

Tear said, her voice shaking with excitement, “I could incite some chaos for you, Lord Erebus. If that would please you.” She hadn’t been able to enjoy herself in quite a while... she was looking for a release of sorts.

“Well,” he smirked, “their young king is already setting down that path.” Erebus let out a laugh. “It might be entertaining... depending on Mae decides to handle the situation.”

Her ears perked. “Why do you say that?”

“Secret.”

Was she perhaps not worthy of learning the truth? The thought of Erebus thinking about her in such a way made a fire lit in her lower belly. How delightful. She ran her tongue across her lips, her imagination beginning to run wild (something that happened rather frequently whenever Erebus’ was involved).

“I’m sure that she noticed it already,” Erebus said to himself more than to Tear, “if not, that’d be a letdown.”

Tear crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to know what he was talking about. “Would Xaltiq take notice of this... thing, too?”

“Mmm. Probably not. He’s too young. Inexperienced.”

Then what did that say about her! “Why do you think I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“Because you’re an idiot,” Erebus stated matter-of-factly.

Her heart tightened. “Say it again.”

His face read the faintest hints of disgust and annoyance. “No.”

Tear shook her head. It didn’t matter! Once was enough for her. She could replay it again and again in her head. He rarely spoke down to her so directly--this was a moment to be recorded in her memory forever! Maybe, one day, she could get him to spew even more profanities towards her. Would he grind her face into the ground with his foot?

Ah, the possibilities were truly endless.