Michael had woken up two days ago, groggy and disoriented. He remembered darkness more profound than any black he had ever witnessed, as though he would have forever lost himself to its unfathomable caress. It surprised him that both voices in his head still showed signs of fear, traumatized as much as he was by the experience.

For two long days, he had been trying to understand what happened, how had it happened. What could this darkness be? And more importantly, will it rear its hideous head anytime soon? But, no matter how hard he tried to come up with answers, he always came up short.

"Michael...look," Agata said, startling him.

Looking up, she had a face filled with awe. Following her direction of sight, his gaze landed upon the opening to the mountain path towards the empire of Rimal. On multiple occasions, he had passed through this path, yet he always found himself in awe at the sheer spectacle before him. It was enough for him to forget the crisis he lived in; no matter how temporary.

Built on the sheer mountains were walls of smooth stone and metal, reflecting the rays of the sun of their surface. They were of grey, whites blacks, and silvers, an amalgamation of the colors in swirls and circular patterns that left any who stared for to long faint. Standing back pressed up onto the walls were giant sentinels placed to forever guard the opening.

They were of golden metal, covered in dust and dirt and plants that found a home on them. They wore armors that covered them completely; not a part of them showing except their life like eyes glimmering like a deep sea. Each held before them a weapon as long as they were tall of varying colors of steel. They held axes, swords, halberds, spears, and many more weapons of war.

No matter how many times he had seen them, they would give him the chills. They looked so real, so alive. At any moment, they could step down from their perches to utterly destroy anyone unlucky enough to garner their ire.

"They are impressive, aren't they, My Liege?" Jax said in his monotone voice.

"Yes, they are awe-inspiring,"

Just as he said those words, sharp pain in his head hit him without remorse. A sure way telling of another memory. Closing his eyes, he did his best to look as normal as possible, no matter how unlikely that was already. His entire entourage stared at him with worry, these unusual cases of pain and flinching had increased ever since they left death forest. They did not fully understand what caused them, but they gave him space nonetheless; they had too after being forced to do nothing for those three months.

Michael, on the other hand, saw a fog clear in his mind as memory took its place in reality.

~~~

Curiosity burned brightly in Ruthar as he stared out of the carriage's window of clear glass. His growing desire for constant excitement had him at the edge of his seat, making sounds of awe. His eyes were wide, mouth hanging open, and hands clenching the window ledge like there was no tomorrow. His gaze could not be torn away from the majesty of what loomed above them as the caravan continued to rumble down this uneven path.

"Awe-inspiring, aren't they?" A muffled voice said from within the carriage.

"Yes, father. Awe-inspiring…" Michael said in a whisper, unwilling to break his concentration from the sight before him.

The muffled voice laughed at his reaction, taking enjoyment in his child's reactions. He had yet to encounter any who were not amazed by the spectacle, but Ruthar's expression was a league better than any he had seen yet. Keeping a broad smile, the owner of the muffled voice drew closer to look out the window with Ruthar.

"Do you know their names?"

"No, do you, father?" Michael replied without looking away from the statues.

"Nope," He said with a deep chuckle. That garnered Ruthar's ire as a massive frown formed on his face; clear disappointment on his face.

"But I do know who they are - or at least what they are. Do you want to know?" His father asked, the voice still oddly muffled.

"Oh, yes!" Ruther exclaimed in excitement, turning away for the first time since they made it to the pass towards the Empire of Rimal. His frown had quickly disappeared, in its place was a huge smile full of innocence.

But, when he looked back, his breath caught, or at least Michael's did. His father's image was not clear, just foggy details none could make out. It hurt more than he could have possibly known, Ruthar and he were one now. Michael's lips began to dry as his point of view separated from Ruthar's. Instead, he looked out as a third person. Watching a younger version of himself excitedly discussing golems and sentinels with great passion with their father.

Looking back at the foggy image, he tried his best to make out any details out for him to remember. He could not forget, no, that would be an eternal curse he could not bear, a burden greater than his shoulders can carry. Try as he might, all he saw was black hair and robes of luxurious make with intricate designs.

Harder and harder he tried until suddenly his father looked in his direction with cold eyes. His heart skipped a beat as grey eyes pierced into his own, the pressure more than he could handle. He was frozen, his lips dry and heart beating fast than a galloping horse. As suddenly as that happened, his father looked back towards Ruthar's younger self with a confused expression.

"I-is something wrong, father?" Ruthar asked with worry.

"No, no...nothing is wrong, uh, where were we. Ah, yes, the metal behemoths of the Empire of Rimal…"

Michael was stuck in his position as their discussion continued. He was too afraid to move or even breath. His father had somehow felt him with them, how? This is a memory, just a memory nothing more. But, as his thoughts were derailed, so too was the memory fading. It took time, but Michael found himself back to the present without ever noticing it.

~~~

"Young Master? Young Master?" Bialo called him until he finally gave a grunt in reply, his mind still running rampant.

"Are you okay? Do you need rest? We can pause our travels for the day if the need arises," Bialo said as Jax and Agata nodded in silent agreement. Agata's face was filled with great worry with Jax's telling vein throbbed mercilessly.

"Y-yes, everything is fine, Bialo. Just a minor headache," Michael said, though his words and tone of voice fooled no one.

"We should stop," Agata chimed in, "The sky is going to darken soon,"

Shaking his head, Michael wasn't willing to stop, he felt an instinctual need to get as far as possible. Surveying his surroundings, his eyes rolled across the rest of his entourage, his guards were all fully dressed in their full-plate armor as they rode massive and overly muscular horses with barding.

"No, we need to continue on our path, every second we delay is one the EverFlame kin ga-"

Michael's words were cut off by hair-raising bleats from ahead of them. Looking in that general direction, he saw a herd of rams with massive horns in elegant swirls charging towards. Crazed black eyes and lolled tongues hanging down were but a few of their descriptions. They were all a mix of black, grey, and white with only the lead ram a solid black with no other coloring.

"Defensive positions! Bialo end their charge!" Jax hollered in his monotone and calm voice, reassuring in dire situations.