(Niko, 16)

"Hello, Niko," Pine greets me when I approach, even without turning around to see me.

"How did you know it was me?" I ask.

"Your footsteps," he answers, not stopping his work in crafting the leather chest armor. "I can identify everyone at the mansion by their footsteps. Yours changed after you got hurt in Kelrar, and while the sound has changed since you recovered, it's still different than it was before. Your left step, anyway."

"I see," I say. "I did not know it was possible to identify everyone by their footsteps."

"It is if you listen well enough," he says. "The type of boot they wear, how softly they step, how much they weight, how they walk, all of that makes up different sounds. Jason is the only person who fools me, and that's because he intentionally changes up how he walks to mess with me, on the rare occasion I actually hear his steps."

"Jason knows you can?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers. "At least, I think he can. That, or he does it just to be, well, Jason."

"That is possible," I sit beside him. "You do not speak much, Pine, and keep mostly to yourself. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable here in Varil."

"I am," he answers. "Sorry if I made you think I wasn't."

"It is nothing to be sorry about," I say. "I noticed how much you work on the wyvern leather, and thought perhaps you missed your family."

"I do, some," he admits. "But I also enjoy working on this, especially now I can enchant it. My papa is jealous. He said he might come down on the train to learn enchanting."

"Not the gate?" I ask.

"Both make him nervous," Pine tells me. "But he would prefer to trust a carriage of some sort that traveled across the land over walking through something and appearing elsewhere."

"Yes," I nod. "Jason mentioned some people would prefer one over the other. Will he be able to afford the trip? If not, I will arrange a ticket and place for him to stay."

"I thought you didn't care about Mar," Pine gives me a quizzical look. "I don't blame you, after everything you went through and what your parents did."

He is wondering why I would cover the costs for Mar's wyvern leather worker to learn how to enchant the leather, therefore supply Marran soldiers with better equipment.

"I don't care about Mar," I say. "I do, however, care about my brother, whose forces could use enchanted wyvern leather, and you, who currently is the only Marran who has not seen his family since his arrival here in Varil."

Even if Pine traveled back to Mar with us on each trip, he was unable to see his family. His home sits near the Kelraran border, and would therefore take too much time to reach on the short trips we made.

"Oh," Pine says. "There is no need to worry about the cost, Niko. My family may not be nobility, but we are the only ones able to supply the best leather armor to Mar. He said he has stopped taking orders and once he has finished the last one and has no more hides tanning, he'll take a break and probably come down here."

"That is good," I say. "He cannot stay at the mansion, though. We do not have the space for it."

I could tell the young men to pair up in rooms as well, but do not wish to.

"I understand," Pine tells me. "Alex and Connor pay me well. I have been thinking over purchasing a home near here."

"With you knowing how to open a gate," I say. "And the easy access of warp crystals near here, would it not make no difference how close you live to this workshop?"

"I mostly want to escape the hustle and bustle of living with twenty other men and ten young women."

"I see," I say. "You are planning on purchasing a home?"

"Yes," he nods. "I have decided to live in Varil until graduation, at which point, I will sell the home and move to the Unwild Lands, with the rest of the group that moves out there. Before I leave, I will teach one or two others how to turn wyvern hides into enchanted wyvern leather, so that Levirar Equipment may continue to produce the goods I currently make."

"I see," I say. "So you do plan on moving out there?"

"Yes," he answers without hesitation. "I find that I quite enjoy enchanting, and I would take great pride in teaching young minds how to do it as well, so that people may prepare for the coming battles with greater beasts."

"Okay," I say. "I do not know what Lina wishes to do, but whatever it is, I will stay with her. Jacob, I know, will remain here in Varil, as Crown Prince. If you need assistance looking for a home, Pine, let me know."

"I will," he says, then frowns. "How are your finances, sir? With you cutting yourself off from your inheritance, does that not mean you no longer have access to the royal treasury?"

"That is correct," I answer. "However, I have not been using it for some time now. I stopped using it last autumn."

"You haven't?" He asks, confusion clear on his face. "But you've been spending money, and a lot of it. How do you manage without access to your money?"

"That was never truly my money," I point at the newest set of wyvern hides. "That, however, is."

Pine looks at the wyvern hides he set to tanning this morning, then looks at me.

"You killed that?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer. "I earned money from the first year-wide training mission during the first term, and realized that I could earn my own money. My kills from then lasted me through now, and will continue to last me for some time. However, I do assist in wyvern control for Varil, and they are now brought to you. This assistance of mine is secret, however, so please do not spread it."

Only a handful of people know of my actions; Zachary, Jason, and the three I work with. Now, Pine as well, bringing it up to six when excluding myself.

"I won't," Pine promises, then appraises my outfit. "Are you going on a date with Lina?"

"Yes," I answer. "I simply wished to check on you before meeting with her. I see so little of you lately, I wished to ensure you were not uncomfortable with your new job and how much it requires of you."

"I find leather-working soothing," he tells me. "Thank you for your concern, Niko."

"I must be off," I tell him. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Pine."

"Enjoy yours as well," he tells me.

I open up a gate and step through it, then close it. Lina stands beside the gate to the royal palace, her own guards standing behind her, Eli and Micah present as well. Lina wears a dress of light blues and greens, a spring pattern upon it. Her hair is fixed up nicely, and a wide smile is upon her lips.

"Hello, Lina," I find myself smiling when I see her. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," she tells me. "You look handsome as ever, Niko."

"Thank you," I respond. "Are you ready?"

"I am," she answers. "Are we to take a gate? You said to wait here for you."

"Yes," I open up a gate. "Jason showed me a place in the Unwild Lands that I believe you will find most breathtaking. We shall have dinner there as we enjoy the sights."

Eli and Micah step through the gate first, then Lina takes me arm before we step through the gate, followed by her own guards. I close the gate after that, watching Lina's reaction to the view. We stepped out near the edge of a cliff facing an even taller cliff, down which a waterfall cascades, broken into three segments on its way down to the river below. The river cuts through a forest, and another forest rests atop the cliff opposite us, though this cliff we are upon is covered by a field for miles around.

Lina's smile turns into an 'O' of surprise, eyes widening in awe at the beauty of the scenery. However, her attention is soon drawn to something atop the other cliff. A great bird of brown feathers, which stretches its wings and soars into the air.

Jason did not tell me thunderbirds lived here. There is more than one nest left? Jason told me that the nest in Varil contained the last of the thunderbirds.

The thunderbird glides towards us, landing in front of us before tucking her wings in. Lina stares up at her great majesty, at a loss for words.

"Hello, Great Thunderbird," she says as Lina stares up at her in awe. "Welcome to my territory. Would you like to go for a ride?"

This one has much less reservations about approaching and asking than Sriia.

Lina finds her words, turning and looking at me.

"You did not tell me there was a thunderbird here!" She exclaims. "I believed they were extinct! How did you find one? Thank you! You know how to surprise me!"

Lina throws herself at me, wrapping me in a hug as she kisses me on the cheek. Do not worry, Lina. I surprised myself. As I hug Lina back, I make a mental note to speak with Jason regarding informing me of surprises that may occur while I am on a date with Lina at a place he introduced me to.

Lina separates from me when Gargoyle Alpha clears his throat, then she looks at the thunderbird.

"I would love to," she tells her. "Would it be possible for Niko to ride with me? And our escorts to accompany us on the backs of others? Or are you it?"

"There are others," the thunderbird informs her. "It would be no issue. I was warned in advance that you and Lord Niko may not travel without escort."

Jason told them to wait for us. I know he did.

Four more thunderbirds take off from the opposite cliff, they fly toward us and land here, further stunning our escorts. The one before Lina and I lowers herself, allowing the two of us to climb on. I do so first, then help Lina up. She sits in front of me, then we hang on tight and wait for the others to mount their thunderbirds, though all four of them look quite nervous.

They deal with Jason quite often. Riding a thunderbird should prove less bothersome and terrifying than that.

"Everyone ready?" The thunderbird asks.

"Yes," Lina and I answer.

"Let us be off!"

She turns towards the cliff, then jumps off it, diving down. Once we are halfway to the forest below, she stretches her wings and changes our path, turning the dive into a glide over the forest. It feels exhilarating in a way that simple flight does not, and I can hear Lina laughing in front of me, which makes me happy.

This date may turn out the greatest of them all so far. Would it ever be possible to top this?

(Jacob, 17)

I firmly rap on the door to the stone building set into a forest near the eastern border of Varil, more than a half-day's travel from any other home or settlement. No one responds, so I knock with more force. I know they are here, I can pick up the six people in the scanning spell.

When no one responds to that, I knock again, and finally, one of the five at a table stands and approaches the door. One of the two women, it looks like. She opens the door, giving me a confused look.

"Can we help you?" She asks.

"No," I swiftly draw my sword, slicing through her throat. I kick her body into the entrance hall, then step inside. "You can all die, though."

The other four scramble to their feet, the other woman and one of the men preparing defensive spell. With my layered enhancements, however, I am much too fast for them. I swiftly kill three of them, leaving the fourth man alive as I cut through his kneecaps.

"Tell me," I drive my sword through his shoulder, pinning him to the ground. "How did it feel, when you tortured my mama?"

"Your mama?" He asks. "Who the hell are you? I've never seen you bef-graahh!"

I pull my hand out of his stomach, his blood dripping from the thin layer of force magic sharpened to a point over them.

"I am Jacob Varil," I tell him. "Prince Jacob Varil. Four years ago, you killed my mama after torturing her for eleven months."

His eyes widen as he recognizes me.

"You-"

"I found you," I tell him. "I learned about the remnants of this twice-damned order years ago, but it was only a suspicion. I spoke with my grandpapa, my mama's papa, and he confirmed my suspicions after looking through the evidence gathered. Because there is no afterlife, save for the worst of the worst, I will ensure your death is worthy of what you did to my mama."

The green barrier around my hand shifts, turning more solid as streaks of black and gold thread their way through it.

"I may be the King of Spring," I lean forward, whispering into his ear. "But with every spring comes with it the decay of life, which returns to the soil from which it came to nourish the crops and fields."

I drive my hand into his stomach, and he opens his mouth in a silent scream, my silencing curse already in effect.

I pull my hand out, then stand and pull my sword out, cleaning it off with water magic as he begins to decompose while alive. The process takes nearly an hour, and I watch the entire thing. Until his heart and brain decompose, the last of him to do so, he remains alive, my curse mixed with holy magic ensuring that.

A simple mind spell is all it takes to keep the sixth resident of this hall from coming downstairs, a light distraction to keep him occupied. It is best if he sees no such thing.

Once the man who murdered my mama finishes turning to dirt, I walk to the stairs and ascend them, then down the hall to the room where the final resident currently sits. I knock once, then open the door, stepping into the room.

Sitting in the middle of the floor, playing with wooden blocks, is a boy around four years old, dressed in a brown tunic. He looks up at me, looking at me in confusion. The boy has little meat on his body, none of the fat that children have. In addition, his left eye is bruised, and I feel my temper flare at that. That man should have suffered even worse before he died.

"Hello, Reid," I sit across from him. "My name is Jake, and I am-I'm your big brother."

I should talk more casually with him than I do. Eden still attempts to instill in me a more casual way of speaking when not in a formal setting, and I know it would likely sound odd to a little boy.

"I don't have big brother," he shakes his head.

"You do," I smile. "And a grandpapa, too. Your mama is my mama."

"My mama?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer.

"My mama dead," he says.

"I know," I tell him. "She died after you were born. I miss her a lot. Do you want to hear stories about her?"

"Where is Papa?" He asks, fear in his voice.

"Your papa won't hurt you any more," I tell him. "I promise."

"Papa mean," he says.

"I know," I tell him. "He hurt you lots, didn't he?"

Reid nods, then starts showing me his bruises and cuts, as a little boy would do. It hurts me, seeing them, and I struggle to hold back my tears at his pain and fear.

"I came to take you away," I tell him. "To Grandpapa, to Mama's papa. He can tell you all the stories you want to hear about mama. Lots and lots of stories about her."

"Papa not like mama," he says, the fear obvious in his voice. "He says me not allowed to talk about her."

"I know," I tell him. "Can I touch you?"

"You hurt me?" He asks.

"No," I tell him. "I wish to heal your hurt, Reid. I'm your big brother, I will never hurt you."

Reid looks at me in fear, so used to his papa hurting him that he does not trust anyone. However, he allows me to start healing his injuries, and I see trust starting to form in his eyes. To a boy of only four, the first person he ever meets who does not hurt him, but heals him, would be a savior. A hero.

I finish healing him, then pull him against me in a hug. He starts whimpering, fearful of whatever might happen.

"It is okay, Reid," I say softly. "Your big brother is here to save you. I came to take you away from your papa. Let us leave now. Grandpapa will be happy to see you. He will want to raise you, and he will never hurt you, I promise."

"Scared," he says softly, trembling in my arms.

"I know," I tell him. "But want to know a secret about Grandpapas?"

"What?" He asks.

"They like to spoil their grandchildren with sweets," I tell him. "I bet you have never had any sweets before, have you?"

"Papa likes eat pie," he tells me. "Me not allowed to."

"Well," I say. "If Grandpapa eats pie, he will let you have some, too, okay?"

"Okay," he says, though I can tell he's still scared. "Papa not let you take me."

"Your papa can't stop me," I tell him, then open a gate back to Grandpapa's temple, before stepping through it.

"Whoa!" He exclaims, and there is more terror in his voice. "Where are we?"

"We are at a temple," I tell him. "Grandpapa lives here. He worships the Twin Gods."

I carry Reid inside the church, Grandpapa at the altar again, his back turned as he does whatever he does at the table behind it.

"Grandpapa," I say. "I have returned."

"Welcome back," he says, turning around. "You-uh, Jake? You came back with a boy."

"Grandpapa," I say. "This is Reid. Reid, this is Grandpapa. He's Mama's papa."

Reid turns his head to look at Grandpapa, and I can see the fear in his eyes.

"Grandpapa likes to hide it," I tell Reid. "But he carries sweets in a pouch under his robe. I bet if you asked real nicely, he'll give you some chocolate."

"Me never had choc'late."

"I know," I tell him as Grandpapa steps around the altar, giving Reid a curious look. "Ask Grandpapa for some, okay? He won't hurt you like your papa would. He'll give you chocolate."

"Me have choc'late?" Reid says, fear in his voice.

"Say 'please'," I tell him.

"Pwease?" He asks.

"He's cute," Grandpapa reaches under his robe, pulling out chocolate a moment later. He holds it out for Reid, who stares at it. "Whose kid is he? Do his parents know he's here?"

"Take it, Reid," I tell him. "It's yours."

Reid hesitantly reaches out and takes the piece of chocolate, then stares at it.

"To answer your question, Grandpapa," I say. "His parents are dead. He's an orphan."

"How did you find him?" Grandpapa asks. "I thought you were going after the Order of the Risen Queen?"

"I did," I tell him. "Grandpapa, Reid is the son of the man who murdered Mama… and Mama. He is your grandson, just like me. Reid, eat the chocolate. It is delicious. It tastes very good."

Grandpapa stares at Reid in shock as Reid hesitantly puts the piece of chocolate in his mouth. I can tell by his expression he likes it, but still fears Grandpapa.

"Are you sure?" Grandpapa asks me.

"I am completely certain," I tell him. "I learned about him due to, well, my investigations into the order. I did not know he was my brother until a few days ago, when I decided to practice the blood relation check for siblings and it alerted me to him. I checked to see if he were related to Papa, and it came up false."

"Leaving your mama as the only possibility," he says.

"Yes," I nod. "Will you take care of him? His papa beat him badly quite often simply for existing. I am amazed he still lives. It will take a gentle hand to help him recover."

"Of course," Grandpapa tells me. "Why don't we go on back to the kitchen? I'll prepare us some dinner."

"Dinner?" Reid asks. "Me go back to room."

He sounds dejected. Did his papa not let him eat dinner?

Reid looks around in confusion, then starts whimpering.

"Me not know how!" He exclaims. "Me sorry! Me sorry!"

"Reid, Reid," I rub his back. "Sh, it is okay, Reid. You do not have to go to your room. You will eat dinner with us."

"Me not allowed dinner," he sniffles. "Me been bad boy. Papa said so."

"Your papa is not here," I tell him. "He will never hurt you again, I promise. Come on."

I take the still-trembling and whimpering Reid to the kitchen, Grandpapa following. As I sit, Grandpapa begins preparing dinner for us. It takes him an hour to prepare, and we do our best to comfort Reid and make him feel comfortable with us.

Grandpapa serves us the stew and some bread, and I manage to convince Reid he may eat without fear. By his expression, he enjoys the food, but still worries that it will be taken from him.

"You are not eating much, Jake," Grandpapa says. "Are you feeling well? You are not sick, are you?"

"No," I smile. "I have dinner with Tasha soon, and wish to save room for dessert after that. She returned to the Meti Duchy for most of the summer, and the chef there makes quite the delicious desserts."

"I see!" He laughs.

"I should be off," I tell him, then give Reid a light tickle on the sides, making him squirm. "Reid, Grandpapa will take care of you now, okay? I will visit from time to time, when able."

Reid does not like me handing him over to Grandpapa, whimpering some more, but Grandpapa gives him another piece of chocolate, and that settles him down a little. Reid still looks afraid, but I know Grandpapa will help him recover quickly. Until Reid is better, I will not tell Lina about him. Nor Papa.

I thank the King and Queen of the Gods Jason does not seem to have an interest in what I did this afternoon. He might have kept the stuffie golem from following me, but his lack of attempted contact suggests he is letting me have my own private stuff. Now I am wondering if he even bothered attempting to track me down. Or did he tell Papa, when Papa no doubt asked him to locate me, to allow me my own private time? I do deserve it, after everything I have dealt with these past few months.

"Goodbye," I tell them both.

I open up a gate back to my quarters in the palace. Grandpapa did not comment on it, but I have blood on me from when I killed the bastards of the order. I need to wash up and put on some fresh clothes before I meet with Tasha.

What should I wear for the dinner? Her staff at Castle Meti have seen me a few times, and I wish to continue to remind them of my status, but I also want to wear something Tasha would like.

(Jason, 16)

"Hello, Alexander," I say softly as I step through the gate.

"Hello, Jason," Alexander softly responds. "He just fell asleep."

"I know," I look at Reid, who Alexander managed to give a bath and put fresh clothes on before tucking him in to bed, the boy quickly falling asleep. "Moose Alpha will ensure he sleeps well each night, driving away the nightmares."

Moose Alpha nods, wrapped up in Reid's arms as if he were the boy's most precious thing in the world. The boy took to the stuffie golem quite well, though he's not aware Moose Alpha is more than a stuffie.

"Did you know about him?" Alexander asks as we leave the room.

"About Reid?" I ask, and he nods. "Not until Moose Alpha told me, which is strange. I've done checks for relatives of Jacob's and Lina's before, and they always turned up with just the known ones."

"Could Jacob be mistaken?" He asks.

"No," I answer. "I performed the check again after Jacob went to Reid, and it still yielded a false response."

"Does that not mean-"

"So I tapped into a little of my true nature," I say. "And exerted my power as the Magus of Magic as I performed the check again. Reid is his brother, from your daughter, the late queen. Something powerful was blocking any attempt at finding Reid. Jacob likely only succeeded because this force let him."

"Someone was blocking it?" Alexander asks. "Preventing him from being found? Who?"

"You just finished dealing with a plague," I say. "Which meant that it wouldn't have been good to bring Reid here. Bringing Reid into the royal life would be problematic after what he suffered. As far as I can tell, from my near-eight hundred years of experience, is that the god who was blocking it thought it better to delay him being discovered long enough for this to be a good place for him to go. The royal life would only traumatize him further."

"And as he was already traumatized," Alexander says. "Letting him continue to suffer a little longer wouldn't do much more damage. Letting him come here after would help him heal."

"Yeah," I nod. "Especially with Moose Alpha to ensure his dreams are sweet. That will help him greatly as well."

"A cruel option by the god," he says. "But I can see why they would want to do that. It is possible they prevented his papa from killing him, too."

"Most likely," I nod. "But they were unable to act further without raising suspicion about someone interfering, and if they tried to exert their power as a god…"

"Then you would have become aware of them," he says. "And they wish to remain anonymous."

"Yeah," I say. "That's the best I can tell. Of course, it's all speculation, but… at least he's safe now."

"Yes," Alexander says. "At least he is safe. Would you care for some tea? Or are you busy?"

"I have a few hours," I tell him.

"I have some of that tea you sent me last week," he says. "Would you like it? I found it quite pleasing to the taste."

"Sure," I tell him, and we walk back to the kitchen, where he begins preparing the tea. "Do you have any of the potions left?"

Mama Elena and I mixed up a lot of potions for him, to deal with the plague in the local region. It stuck around for the last four months, but finally went away a couple of weeks ago, and the all-clear was announced a few days ago.

The same day, it seems, Jacob discovered his brother. Something tells me the god may have influenced Jacob into trying the spell.

"I do," he responds. "Did you and your mama want them back?"

"No," I tell him. "Keep them in case it does resurface. There are times when that can happen, even after the all-clear has occurred."

"I will do that, then," he sets the tea to steeping now that the water has heated. "Where did you find this tea? I've not had one like it before."

"Anotis," I answer. "I was purchasing some fruits down there and came across a tea stall. I'm returning down there late next week to pick up more fruits for a party I'm hosting for a friend's birthday. Want me to pick you up some more?"

"If you would be so kind," he tells me.

"I'll do that, then," I tell him. "You were given the stuff for the Crimson Pearl, right?"

"Yes," he answers. "A member of the Royal Guard dropped it off yesterday. I pray to the Twin Gods that I never have need to use it."

"I pray to the King and Queen of the Gods," I say. "That we quickly find the mages making the orbs and are able to effectively interfere with the production and distribution until then."

"Good luck," he tells me, then snorts. "It sounds so weird, hearing you pray to gods, Jason. You are the Divine Dragon, after all."

Alexander knows about me, but not his grandchildren. It seems the night after we first met, he had a vision showing him me, then me transforming into a grey dragon. All things considered, I decided it was the Twin Gods he worships. It seems they're real, even if hidden.

If I really wanted, I could probably approach them, but they seem to be harmless. If they're actually real, then they're gods of healing who changed their ways after finding out that the Divine Dragon himself opposed how things were. I'm not sure why they told Alexander who I am, but it doesn't matter too much. As long as whatever gods are watching over him and Reid don't hold hostile intent, I won't look into their real identities.

"In this form," I say. "I am simply a very powerful young man with nearly eight hundred years of experience, nearly seventeen in this life with the rest in the past two lives. I do have memories and knowledge from my true self, due to how powerful I am, but first and foremost, I am the Magus of Magic, not the Divine Dragon. Not as long as I am in this form. My powers are limited. Were I my true self, finding those responsible would be a simple matter. Instead, I am bound by mortal limitations, for the most part."

"Yet those limitations are greater than most for you," he points at his eyes, to indicate my own grey ones. "Considering how powerful you are and what you are. The King of Magic is quite the powerful being."

"Yes, he is," I say. "By the way, Alexander… your conversation with Jacob about his own church of worship? He is the King of Spring. It's less that he worships the Kings and Queens of Power and more that he is one of them."

Alexander stares at me in shock at that news. We still have a couple of minutes before the tea is ready. Is there anything else I can stun him over?