Justice's hands run over the cold, metal interior of the wagon made just tall enough to hold a centaur. The indents of the walls are oddly soothing. The smithies craft each creation with tales of Hikari built-in, the stories giving a sense of comfort he finds lacking in other transportation.

This legend tells of how Sora, the goddess of luminescence and sister to Hikari, trapped both herself and her brother in the sky. The story always confused Justice. No matter how many times he listened and read it, he could never comprehend Sora's reasoning. Even with his years of analyzing the inner workings of dozens of different species, he can't find any sensible point to her action. It's probably pointless to try to understand a deity's thinking, and he hopes it's not heresy to do so. It just seems a piece of the legend is missing.

The tale begins with Hikari and Sora gazing over the lands, a smile on their faces. They travel Razorvanny. Through flowery fields and green pastures. They spot the nature goddess Kasumi watering her plants. She runs to her father, embracing him. Their very touch causes flowers to bloom around them. Sora hugs Kasumi next, allowing the rest to bloom.

They wave goodbye and continue their travel. Through thick oaks and sturdy bushes, arriving at the earth mother, Tadame's forest. Hikari greets his wife, embracing her just as he embraced his daughter. The soil of the land becomes plentiful, the trees spreading. Sora does the same, planting new seeds into the ground. Hikari says something to Tadame, she disproves at first, but he convinces her.

A look of uncertainty grows on Sora's face, but they continue. Through hot desserts and deep canyons, arriving at a beachside where Fudo awaits. Hikari greets and embraces him, flames spreading around them. This time Sora doesn't follow in her older brother's example, keeping her distance. Fudo tells Hikari of something and in return, the light god proposes a deal.

The uncertainty on Sora's face becomes both clear and abundant. She looks to a fireplace with an unordinary cloud of smoke. She glances at the sea, waves crashing against the shore as if they were attacking it. Back to her brother, her eyes glow pure white. The sky reaches to the earth and grabs the siblings. The sky forms Hikari into the sun of day, and Sora the orb of night that traps him forever in the sky.

Why would she trap Hikari? The way the story is framed leaves two possibilities. Either she acted out of jealousy or heroism. But Hikari is just, beyond the imperfections of worldly beings. He wouldn't act in a manner that heroism would be needed. It must be jealousy... but Tadame seemed to doubt his actions as well.

If only Justice knew Hikari's plan, he could remove this horrid uncertainty from his mind.

"You alright there?" Eileen asks. "You've been staring at that wall for hours now."

Justice glances over to see Eileen and Gavriil pausing their game of Orcs and Demons to watch him, though Filib stays transfixed on the match.

"Yeah..." His speech returns to normal as his thoughts turn to the present. "Just a connoisseur of storytelling is all."

He shouldn't be thinking about that, having doubts about Hikari's virtue could harm their mission.

"Can you, "connoisseur" the story without rubbing it all seductively, you're making me uncomfortable," Gavriil says, moving a piece forward.

Eileen snorts, failing in her attempt to drink water.

"Yeah, yeah," Justice chuckles. "Enough time for games, we need to figure out our plan."

"Aww, done with fun already? I haven't got a turn caressing the wall, yet," Eileen says, placing her countermove.

Gavriil takes his turn in laughing as if they were a pair of adolescent boys.

Eileen continues to grow closer to the crude cyclops. A bit too close, in Justice's opinion. It seems she isn't joking when she says she sees her husband in him.

"I gave the wall all the caressing it needs, so I guess you'll just have to wait."

Eileen snaps her fingers in faux disappointment.

"Anyway, Filib," Justice says. "How long until we arrive at Dualhorn?"

The centaur opens the curtain. Without turning his head to look, he responds, "Soon, fifteen or thirty minutes tops."

"Damn. My absent mind put us further back than I thought," Justice says. "Well, we'll have to do with a recap of our mission for now."

The three turn their chairs, lower body in Filib's case, to their superior, disappointment at the game pausing clear. Though for someone who likes to joke about Justice's position, Gavriil actually listens quite well.

"Our mission is to create an alliance with the Minotaurs," Justice says. "A long-lasting, fruitful relationship at most, a temporary help against the dark forces at worst. Anything less, and we will consider the mission a failure. To talk with the king, you must first pass through a trial. The contents of the trial can change and aren't to be spoken of, so we'll figure it out through experience. Leave most of the talking to me unless specifically spoken to and don't say anything that could offend them."

"There shouldn't be much to worry about. It's difficult to offend them, not much can bother a minotaur," Filib adds in.

Justice glances to Gavriil. "Let's try not to test that."

Eileen peaks out the window. "Looks like Filib was slightly off with his estimate. We're here."

"I had a suspicion he wasn't trying too hard when he made it," Justice says.

Filib responds, "I could see why."

Justice slaps his legs and stands. "Well, let's get started."

Gavriil leans into his chair. "But what about our game?"

"I feel our vital mission should be a bit higher on your list of priorities than the game."

"We all see the world differently."

Filib whispers something into Eileen's ear.

She eagerly acts on the suggestion, grabbing a piece and slamming it on the board. Silence follows. A move even Justice didn't expect.

"The game is over." Filib walks past the cyclops, who turns mute at the sight of his sudden loss.

Eileen punches Gavriil's shoulder, saying, "good game," and passes him by.

Justice joins in the general amusement as he exits, stepping onto lush pastures.

The minotaurs keep amazing care of their land, not a single patch of yellow in the fields nor a single blemish marks their fused brick walls. The castle holds a beauty that is simultaneously humble and extravagant. Though they stay out of external affairs, it's clear they keep busy.

Lines of Minotaurs, carrying loads of clay, wood, meats, and volcanic ash, walk past the two guards who stand watch over Dualhorn's walls. Having only two guards positioned anywhere in your capital is a dangerous move, they must be confident in themselves.

The group approaches the axe-wielding guards, Gavriil catching up after a moment to wallow in his sadness.

The guard on the left has a mane of silver, a few inches above Gavriil in height. He stares at the group, his movements relaxed and unconcerned.

The right has black fur, shorter than his cohort and even to the cyclops. A glare lives in his eyes, piercing solely at Gavriil, muscles tense and nostrils flaring.

As Justice reaches the gate, the axes fall into a barricade.

"What's your name and business?" The silver asks, sounding bored.

The black grits his teeth but says nothing, his glare growing stronger.

"My name is Justice, a captain of the light army." He bows. "I have come to make you an offer of mutual support."

"What's the name of the superior who sent you?" The silver continues, apparently used to the visits.

"Home division General, Viktor."

"Viktor... That's an odd name for a lighty." The minotaur turns to the black-furred one. "Hey Blackaxe, have you heard of a General Viktor?"

"No," Blackaxe grunts through his teeth.

Now that he mentions it... Viktor is a strange name for their people. Well, so is Justice. It must be a self-given name like his own.

"Well, our HQ is never really in much danger, so he mainly does things behind the scene. Paperwork, dealing with complaints, and the such, so it's understandable you wouldn't know him."

"Aight. If you say so." The silver shrugs. "Come with me." He waves over two minotaurs to take his and Blackaxe's place.

The gates, instead of opening up to the city as you would assume, lead to a narrow hall that splits three ways. More guards block the paths to the sides, allowing only the workers inside. The silver minotaur walks past the blocked off routes, heading for the one straight ahead.

Presumably, the side paths lead to the general population of the town. But if that's the case, where does this one lead?

"Were you told of the requirements to speak to the king?" The silver minotaur asks.

"Only that there are requirements," Justice responds.

"Good." A wide malicious smile, just like that of his lieutenants when there's a fight coming.

Justice hopes his assumption about the trial is wrong, but he finds it doubtful.

"May I ask what they are?"

"Once they start," the silver responds, leaving no room to ask further.

Justice looks around for other topics, hoping to find something to get on the minotaur's good side. A task he's finding increasingly difficult due to the bull man's rather uncaring attitude.

"What's up with your friend?" Eileen asks, looking up to Blackaxe, "he's been shooting daggers since we arrived."

Justice winces. Not the best choice she could have taken.

"Don't mind him," the silver answers, thankfully unchanged in his lack of care. "He's bothered by creatures from other races being as tall or taller than him. He thinks they're trying to look down on him."

"Well, look at him," Blackaxe snarls. "He's looking down, now. He's not even trying to hide it."

Gavriil pays no mind to the conversation, his head downtrodden, and overall mood gloomy.

Eileen laughs. "You have nothing to worry about there, my hairy friend. He's just a sore loser. Even if he was looking down at someone, it would be our captain."

Gavriil snaps back to life. "You only won because of Filib. I had that round in the bag."

"I only quickened your end," Filib says. "From how the round was going, she would've won either way."

Looking around at his three companions, Eileen breaking out in uncontrollable laughter, Gavriil grabbing for his weapon, and Filib only aggravating the cyclops further, Justice acknowledges his original plan of him doing the talking crumbled to dust.

Why did Viktor choose them to do this mission? He could've chosen a lot more experienced and higher-ranked officers. Oddly enough, Justice's group's antics seem to work, if only slightly. Blackaxe doesn't seem as tense, and the silver one, who hasn't given his name, appears to be growing a smile. Though whether that's from the upcoming trial or their bantering is uncertain. Is this what Viktor expected?

"You talk so smug. Looking for a fight?" Gavriil taunts, grabbing the centaurs shirt.

"We're here." The silver minotaur says, taking place at the exit of the hall with his counterpart.

Filib knocks the hand away. "I feel the fight you're looking for is coming up."

A widespread floor of dirt. The smell of blood and sweat. The sound of cheers.

Of course it's an arena.

"Even my diplomatic missions involve violence," Justice grumbles.

As they step out of the hall, Hikari's light shines down upon them, a circular pit with no ceiling surrounded by a crowd of minotaurs. At the opposite, there are two statues of a minotaur, a crown on his horn and his blade raised to the heavens. Between them a throne where king Redmane waits, his crimson fur marked with white patches dancing in the breeze.

Redmane stands, and with a voice like that of a god declares, "our visitors have finally arrived... Let the trial begin!"